Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end months of a battlefield stalemate and punch through Russian defensive lines in

Ukraine is sending mixed signals about its long-anticipated counteroffensive, but its forces are on the move, and Russians are feeling the war more than ever.

Kyiv authorities didn’t confirm the attacks Monday and suggested the claims that major battles are underway were a Russian misinformation ruse.

Russia says it has resisted a “large scale” attack from Ukrainian forces in the eastern Donetsk region, amid speculation that Kyiv will soon launch a spring counteroffensive that could swing the course of the conflict.

The Ukrainian military dismissed reports that Moscow thwarted a major offensive, which the country claimed represented the start of Ukraine's long-heralded counteroffensive.

Russia said Monday it had repelled "a large-scale offensive" by Ukrainian forces in the Moscow occupied Donetsk region as Kyiv was silent about plans to claw back lost territory.

More than 250 Ukrainian soldiers were killed after Moscow foiled a major offensive in the Donetsk region over the weekend, the Russian defense ministry claimed on Monday. “On the morning of June 4, the enemy launched a large-scale offensive in five sectors of the front in the South Donetsk direction,