Russia says it thwarted major attack in Ukraine but lost some ground

FILE PHOTO: View of military vehicles as Ukrainian forces destroy Russian positions in direction of Bakhmut, near Klischiivka, Donetsk Region, Ukraine, in this screengrab taken from a video released on June 4, 2023. 3rd Assault Brigade / Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

KYIV (Reuters) - Moscow said on Monday it had thwarted a major offensive against its forces in eastern Ukraine, although it was unclear whether the attack formed the beginning of Ukraine's long-anticipated counteroffensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was enigmatic in his nightly video, hailing "the news we have been waiting for" in Bakhmut in the east. But he did not refer directly to a counteroffensive, which he had said he was ready to launch in a Wall Street Journal interview published on Saturday.