Online Desk/

The war between Russia and Ukraine has started to escalate again. As Ukrainian forces counterattack to retake lost territory, Russia has stepped up its offensive. In the early hours of Wednesday, Russian forces launched cruise missiles and drone attacks in various areas, including the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Sumy region. Aljazeera and Reuters reported this.

Ukrainian authorities claimed that at least 13 people were killed and about half a hundred people were injured in these Russian attacks. Besides, many infrastructures including houses, schools, warehouses were destroyed. Most of the casualties occurred in the Sumi region. Seven people lost their lives in the Russian attack there. All those killed were employees of the Ukrainian Forestry Department.

Ukraine claimed its forces intercepted a large number of missiles fired by Russia on Wednesday. According to a statement, 20 missiles were fired by the Russian forces. The Ukrainian Air Force managed to intercept 12 of these missiles. Moreover, Russian forces shot down 10 Iranian-made drones. Of these, 9 have been prevented.

Ukrainian forces continue to retake territory lost amid Russian attacks. Ukraine’s top general, Valery Zaluzhny, wrote on Facebook that resistance and counterattacks are being carried out in the eastern and northern regions of the country. Their troops were able to advance in several areas.

According to CNN, the latest battle reports from Moscow-backed officials and military bloggers acknowledge the success of Ukrainian forces in recent days.

According to geo-located video, Kiev forces captured several small villages along the banks of the Ukraine River on Saturday. Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Kiev’s advance in the region amounted to about 90 kilometers.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of Russia’s mercenary Wagner group, also acknowledged the success of the counteroffensive in Ukraine. He said, within a week, Kiev had recovered 7 villages.

Prigozhin said the attack was initiated by the Ukrainians. They are moving precisely, doing everything right. According to him, the Ukrainian army has already recovered about 100 square kilometers of territory.

The United States has announced more military aid to Kiev to provide logistics for anti-Russian counterattacks by Ukrainian forces.

In addition, France, Germany and Poland have announced assistance to Ukraine in the situation. French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda held a meeting in Paris, the capital of France.

Meanwhile, Belarus has begun to acquire strategic nuclear weapons from Russia. President of the country Alexander Lukashenko said in an interview that the missiles and bombs came from Russia. The bombs are 3 times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan.