Russia-Ukraine conflict: Ukrainian forces repel Russian offensive in Donetsk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were able to “repel” an offensive by Russia in the region of Donetsk, which Moscow claims to have annexed. Zelenskyy added that prisoners were also taken in amidst recent prisoner exchanges by both sides.

In his nightly address Sunday, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian troops were able to fend off Russia’s offensive in the eastern region of Donetsk. The fiercest fighting took place in the towns of Bakhmut and Avdiika as Ukrainian forces continued their counter-attack to reclaim the partially occupied territories.

“Today they stopped the fierce offensive actions of the enemy,” said Zelenskyy. “The Russian attack was repelled.”

Zelenskyy noted that a military unit in western Ukraine was able to carry out the counter-attack in Donetsk but did not specify which areas the clash took place. Zelenskyy added that Ukraine’s “exchange fund” was replenished, indicating that Russian troops were taken prisoner in the midst of the fighting.

On the same day, the French foreign ministry rebuked Russia’s accusations of the United Kingdom that it was involved in the attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipeline and the Russian Navy Ships in the annexed Crimea region. The ministry said in a statement that Moscow’s accusations are baseless.

“The accusations Russia brought against the United Kingdom on Saturday, 29 October, are utterly baseless and supported by no tangible evidence. They are yet another clear illustration of Russia’s strategy to disguise reality and make wild and outrageous allegations to distract from its own, sole responsibility in its war of aggression against Ukraine,” said the statement.

London also denied involvement in the attacks on the pipeline and the Russian naval ships in Crimea following the accusations by Moscow. The British defense ministry said its Russian counterpart was trying to distract the world from its invasion of Ukraine by making false accusations.

The British defense ministry added that the accusation by Moscow “says more about” the internal conflict within the Kremlin than it does on the West.

Russia has already previously blamed the West for the attacks on the pipeline but did not give specific details on who it thought was responsible for the damage to the gas pipelines.