In the early hours of Thursday morning, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán convened the Defence Council due to the escalating fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian war, Bertalan Havasi, the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary announced.
During the meeting held at the Carmelite Monastery earlier today, Viktor Orbán emphasised that although a ceasefire and peace would be paramount, intense fighting erupted in the Russo-Ukrainian war on Wednesday night. The security of Hungary remains the top priority of the government, the Prime Minister stressed.
The Defence Council meeting was attended by Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, Interior Minister Sándor Pintér, Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Antal Rogán, Chief of the General Staff Gábor Böröndi, Brigadier General Norbert Tajti, State Secretary and Senior National Security Advisor József Tóth as well as State Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office János Nagy.
It was reported on Wednesday, 7 June that Ukrainian forces initiated attacks in three significant areas along the front lines, providing further evidence of an ongoing counter-offensive. The Ukrainian government stated that its forces successfully recaptured territory from Russia during an assault on the outskirts of the eastern city of Bakhmut. The Telegraph also mentioned that Russian sources alleged that Ukraine launched a substantial offensive in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, deploying tanks and multi-launch rocket systems.
Responding to the newly launched offensive, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that Ukraine has lost 3,715 soldiers and 52 tanks across various sections of the front during its promised offensive over the past three days. Shoigu made this announcement on Tuesday through the Russian Defence Ministry’s Telegram channel.
‘The attempted attack has been thwarted, the enemy has been halted, and Russian soldiers and officers have demonstrated courage and heroism in the battles,’ emphasised the minister. ‘I repeat, the enemy has not achieved its objectives and has suffered significant and disproportionate losses,’ he added.
According to Shoigu, on Saturday, two Ukrainian divisions attempted to advance in five directions but were unsuccessful, resulting in the loss of 300 soldiers. The following day, using the assistance of five divisions, Ukraine attempted an offensive in seven directions, which was halted with significant losses. The Russian minister claimed that Ukraine lost over 1,600 soldiers during these assault attempts.
Shoigu stated that the Ukrainian armed forces’ attempted offensives across various parts of the front have been stopped, resulting in a total loss for Ukraine of 3,715 soldiers, 52 tanks, 207 armored vehicles, 134 vehicles, 5 aircraft, 2 helicopters, 48 artillery guns, and 53 unmanned aerial vehicles. Regarding the Russian losses during the repulsion of the attack, he provided figures of 71 dead, 210 wounded, 15 tanks, 9 armoured vehicles, two other vehicles, and nine artillery pieces.
