Ukraine has warned that Russian forces are pushing additional ships into the Black Sea loaded with Kalibr missiles, raising the risk of a major missile attack on Odessa, as Kiev adjusts its plans for a counterattack after leaking US documents.

CNN quoted a source close to the Ukrainian president as saying that Kiev was forced, due to the leak of classified US documents, to modify some of its military plans before carrying out a counterattack previously promised by Russian forces, which occupy swathes of Ukrainian territory in a war that broke out in February last year.

Mikhailo Podolyak, an aide to the Ukrainian president, told CNN that Ukraine's strategic plans have not changed, but more accurate tactical plans are always subject to change, based on an assessment of the situation on the battlefield and the availability of resources and intelligence.

U.S. officials are trying to determine the source of the leak of classified documents that contain many details, including those related to Ukrainian air defenses and Israel's Mossad intelligence service.

Asked about the CNN report, Podolyak told Reuters: "There are strategic missions. It's immutable. But operational and tactical scenarios are constantly revised based on an assessment of the situation on the battlefield, the availability of resources, intelligence about enemy resources, etc."

"At the moment, it is impossible to reassess the plans because they are in the pipeline."

Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov told Reuters: "We are working on our plans. The opinion of those who have nothing to do with it does not matter to us. The circle of people who have information is very limited."


warning

In a parallel context, the Southern Military Command of the Ukrainian army warned that Russian forces are pushing additional ships to the Black Sea, loaded with Kalibr missiles.

A large-scale rocket attack on Odessa and other southern provinces is more likely and dangerous, she said, calling on residents to abide by instructions and air alerts.

The command pointed to the presence of 4 Russian ships loaded with "Kalibr" missiles on a combat mission in the Black Sea, while the combat movement on Sunday was limited to two ships.

On the ground, the Ukrainian General Staff said a Russian Mi-24 helicopter was shot down over Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine.

On the Pakhmot front in the Donbas region, the pro-Russian governor of Donetsk said more than 75 percent of the territory of the city of Pakhmot was under the control of Russian forces, and that fighting was currently taking place west of the city.

For his part, the Ukrainian defense minister said that the losses of Russian troops in Bakhmut are huge, and that the Ukrainian army is working to destroy its resources.

The commander of the Ukrainian ground forces said that the Ukrainian army exhausted the Russian Wagner forces in the city, forcing Russia to involve airborne forces in the attack on it; he added that the situation in Bakhmut is difficult but under control, as he put it.

losses

On the other hand, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Ukrainian side inflicted losses in the area of "Krasny Liman" and the destruction of Ukrainian drones over the area.

In Kherson province, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat said Russian forces were using guided bombs along the Kherson front line. Ignat added that these bombs pose a new Russian threat, as he described it.


In the same context, the Ukrainian military administration said that the Russians bombarded the entire territory of the southern province during the past hours about 78 times with 360 shells, mainly targeting residential neighborhoods and civilian infrastructure.

The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian shelling of the Zaporizhia and Kherson provinces continued, targeting infrastructure in Zaporizhia, causing deaths and injuries and destroying residential buildings.

It also noted that the Russians continue to build defensive lines and positions in the two southern provinces in anticipation of any counterattack by Ukrainian forces, while the Ukrainian army confirmed that it carried out strikes on Russian positions, and shot down 6 drones.

In the Donetsk axis, the Russian agency "Sputnik" said that Ukrainian forces fired more than 100 projectiles in the past hours.

The pro-Russian Donetsk authorities confirmed that the Ukrainian shelling over the past day targeted various residential areas, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to some residential buildings.

In the Zaporizhia region, the Ukrainian General Staff said there were deaths and injuries in Russian shelling of several areas.

Prisoner exchange

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian presidency said it had recovered 100 Ukrainian soldiers as part of a prisoner exchange with the Russian side.

The Ukrainian presidency added that it prioritizes the release of all Ukrainian detainees held by Russians.

In contrast, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had received 106 of its soldiers from the Ukrainian side as part of the exchange.