'Active combat' in southern Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region

(ANSA-AFP) - MOSCOW, JUN 9 - Fighting raged between Ukrainian and Russian troops on Friday in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, according to Russian sources. The reports come amid expectations of a major Ukrainian offensive, with some analysts saying it had already begun. "At the moment, active combat is ongoing in the region between Orekhovo and Tokmak," Vladimir Rogov, an official with Russian occupation authorities, wrote on the Telegram messaging service, referring to a locality known in Ukrainian as Orikhiv. Alexander Sladkov, a Russian conflict correspondent, wrote on Telegram of "intense fighting" in the area. "The enemy is undertaking incredible efforts, attacks. In vain. Our forces are holding on. The front line is stable," he wrote. The information could not be independently verified.

Ukraine's army said only that "the adversary remains on the defensive" in Zaporizhzhia, in a Facebook post. It said it destroyed four missiles and 10 drones, out of some 20 that Russia had fired at "military installations and critical infrastructure". (ANSA-AFP).

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