The Ukrainian army has recaptured the village of Pyatykhatky. Since the start of the counter-offensive, 113 km2 of territory have been recaptured from the Russians, according to Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar.
The Ukrainian army has recaptured the village of Pyatykhatky on the southern front of the conflict with Russian forces, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
Eight localities liberated in two weeks
With this village, a total of “eight localities have been liberated” in the two weeks since the start of the counter-offensive, with 113 km2 of territory reclaimed, said Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar on social networks.
In the south, Ukrainian troops “have advanced up to seven kilometers in depth” of Russian positions, she added.
Counter-offensive a failure, says Moscow
Moscow continues to insist that Ukraine’s current offensive on Russian-occupied positions is a failure.
Kyiv reported last week that it had liberated seven towns and 100 square kilometers, mainly on the southern front. On the eastern front, “the general intensity of fighting decreased last week” and the Ukrainian army “advanced in several directions”, it assured without giving details.
“The enemy has made considerable efforts to halt our advance in the Bakhmut area. They have transferred additional units and increased the number of bombardments,” she added.
The Ukrainian army also reported that it had shot down the four Kalibr missiles and four Iranian-made explosive drones launched by Russia during the night.
“The missile shots were fired from a submarine in the Black Sea, and the drone shots from the east coast of the Sea of Azov.”
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had repelled a total of seven Ukrainian “attacks” in the eastern Donetsk region, which includes the town of Bakhmut.
According to some military analysts, Ukraine has not yet launched the bulk of its forces in its counter-offensive, and is still testing the front to determine the weak points of the Russian defense.