Earlier in the day, Rogov said heavy fighting was going on in the area, while Ukrainian forces managed to capture the settlements of Neskuchnoye and Makarovka.
"Currently, a counterattack has been launched by our guys – the 127th division is going into battle, going forward. At the same time, massive support is being provided by the Russian aerospace forces," he told the Russian Komsomolskaya Pravda broadcaster.
Rogov said that the objective of the counterattack is to drive Ukrainians out of the captured villages, adding that Russian artillery is "giving hell" there.
The Ukrainian government has been planning a major counteroffensive against Russia forces for several months. Ukrainian and Western military experts have repeatedly named the Zaporozhye Region as one of Kiev's main targets, as it would open the access to the Azov Sea and cut off the land corridor to Crimea.