Troops of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics have launched a counterattack against the Ukrainian forces in Donbass, the Russian Ministry of Defence stated, adding that the Ukrainian frontline had been breached.
"At the moment, they [DPR and LPR troops] have launched a counteroffensive with fire support from the Russian Armed Forces. They have broken through the front line of the echeloned, well-equipped defence of the Ukrainian military", MoD chief spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov said.
The general said that the Security Service of Ukraine is preparing and carrying out provocations using the well-known template of the "White Helmets", staging fake videos depicting "mass casualties" amid conflict.
The counteroffensive comes after Russia earlier in the day launched a special military operation in Ukraine targeting military infrastructure, including air bases and air defences.
President Vladimir Putin stressed that the op was launched in order to protect the people of Donbass, who have been suffering from the eight-year-long war, waged by Kiev. He stated that the goal of the operation is the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.