Ukrainian Troops Had No Success due to Courage of Russian Servicemen: Putin

“The enemy had no success in any area. It is all due to the courage and heroism of our soldiers, the proper organization and management of troops and the great efficiency of Russian weapons, especially advanced weapons,” Putin told reporters.

He said the fighting has been very intense in the past two days.

He cited the deployment of Kiev’s strategic reserves as a telltale sign of the operation.

“We can state with absolute certainty that this Ukrainian counteroffensive has begun, and the use of strategic reserves points to it,” Putin said.

He also said that the Ukrainian military has suffered far heavier casualties than the “classic” three-to-one ratio often expected during an offensive.

Russian forces delivered strikes by seaborne and airborne precision weapons against Ukrainian depots storing foreign-made ammunition, armaments and equipment, including drones, disrupting the enemy’s supplies in the combat area, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Friday.