Deploy 100,000 Troops And 900 Tanks, Russia Tries To Break Through Ukraine's Defenses In The Eastern Region

Ukrainian military illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Ministry of Defense of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Ukrainian officials say a large group of Russian troops carried out an attack on Ukraine's northeastern Kupiansk sector, engaged in fierce fighting.

The Ukrainian military launched retaliatory attacks in the east and south a few weeks ago. But officials pointed to intensification of Russian activity near nearby Kupiansk and Lyman, cities in the northeast which Ukraine recaptured late last year.

Ukrainian defense officials say a large group of Russian personnel is now trying to break through the Ukrainian defensive line in the area.

"For two consecutive days, the enemy has actively carried out offensive in the Kupiansk sector in the Kharkiv region," wrote Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malar on Telegram, quoted by Reuters July 18.

"We survive. A fierce battle is taking place and the position of both sides changes dynamically several times a day," he continued.

Meanwhile, Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for the eastern Ukrainian troop group, said the Russian military had amassed more than 100,000 troops and more than 900 tanks in the area.

This figure, he told national television, compared to the number of Soviet Union troops when the war in Afghanistan peaked in 1979-1989, which was around 120,000 people.

Earlier, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's intelligence chief, estimated in May that 370,000 Russian troops were inside Ukraine.

Russian troops in the area, said Cherevatyi, have compiled their best cross-air units and motor infantry units.

"The enemy is focusing everything on breaking through the defense of the Ukrainian troops," he explained.

"Our army holds their defense, prevents the enemy from taking full initiative and they continue to launch counter-attacks," added Cherevatyi.

Separately, Russian Defense Ministry records of fighting in the region said Russian troops had attacked Ukrainian positions in several cities in Kharkiv and neighboring Luhansk.

Russian troops, the ministry said, had also pushed back 13 Ukrainian attacks further south in Donetsk, including the devastated area of Bakhmut City, which Russian forces seized in May after months of fighting.

Separately in the south, where Ukrainian forces are focused on capturing a group of Russian-controlled villages, the Deputy Minister of Defense of Malars said Ukrainian forces were continuing their advance to reach ports in the Azov Sea.