In a move to assert its authority amidst a significant Ukrainian counterattack, Russia disclosed plans on Thursday to conduct elections in occupied sections of Ukraine within the next three months. This comes as the Ukrainian counteroffensive is witnessing promising initial progress, according to military experts.
Indicators of Ukraine's advancements were observed in the villages of Neskuchne and Storozheve, newly liberated from Russian control. A scene of Russian soldier casualties and abandoned armored vehicles marked the areas of recent fighting. Independent sources confirmed that the Ukrainian forces had pushed several kilometers southward along the Mokry Yali river, marking a significant territorial gain since the onset of the invasion.
Local witnesses reported that bodies of Russian soldiers remained in the streets of the devastated and evacuated villages. Ukrainian soldiers in Storozheve claimed they had neutralized around 50 Russian soldiers and captured four.
In contrast, Moscow has refused to acknowledge any territorial losses, insisting that they have inflicted substantial casualties on the Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian military, which had kept silent about its campaign for more than a week, came forward on Thursday to affirm its recent victories, holding its first full media briefing since the counteroffensive began.
"We are ready to continue fighting to liberate our territory even with our bare hands," asserted Brigadier-General Oleksii Hromov, disclosing that the Ukrainian forces had taken control of at least seven settlements and 100 square km (38 square miles) of territory in two major pushes in the south.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, remains adamant that Russia's objectives in Ukraine have not shifted, claiming that Russian forces were causing ten times more casualties than they were sustaining.
In an attempt to establish a facade of normalcy in the occupied regions, Russia announced its plans for elections. Russia's TASS state news agency cited election chief Ella Pamfilova, stating that the Defence Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB) agreed that elections could be held in September.
The Kremlin claimed to annex four Ukrainian provinces last year, but its control over them remains incomplete, with the main population centers in two provinces still out of its reach. Kyiv, on the other hand, maintains that any elections staged by Russians on Ukrainian territory would be illegitimate and illegal.
The Ukrainian offensive's most significant challenge is still looming as they approach Russia's heavily fortified defensive lines. These lines have been established over several months, and only a fraction of the estimated Ukrainian attack force, consisting of approximately 12 brigades, has engaged so far.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, presiding over a meeting in Brussels with about 50 countries, urged the group to continue supplying Ukraine with the defense assets and munitions it urgently needs to protect its citizens.
