Ukraine announced on Monday that its troops had made significant territorial gains on the eastern and southern fronts during the past week of their counteroffensive against Russian forces. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar stated in televised comments that Ukraine had retaken nearly 2 square km (0.77 square mile) of land around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which had been captured by Russia in May after months of fighting. Maliar also revealed on the Telegram messaging app that the Ukrainian army had recaptured 4.8 square km in the southern Tavria sector.
According to Ms. Maliar, Ukrainian forces successfully captured part of the village of Opytne, located south of the eastern city of Avdiivka. She also mentioned that they achieved “partial success” near the village of Novomaiorske in the eastern region of Donetsk, as well as “some success” near the villages of Andriivka and Klishchiivka south of Bakhmut. Maliar claimed that since the start of the counteroffensive in early June, Ukrainian troops had regained control of approximately 49 square km near Bakhmut and over 256 square km in the Tavria direction.
While Kyiv has managed to reclaim several villages and settlements in their counteroffensive, their progress has been hindered by extensive Russian minefields and trenches. Reuters, however, was unable to independently verify these reports.