The Ukrainian army has liberated seven villages from the Russian occupiers in its counteroffensive since last weekend. It concerns a total of 90 square kilometers of territorial gain, said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar on Monday on the Telegram social network.
Maljar mentioned the villages of Lobkove, Levadne and Novodarjivka in the Zaporizhia region and Storozjevoye in the Donetsk region. Earlier, the Ministry of Defense had also reported progress on Bachmut, also in Donetsk. On Monday, the Ukrainian troops managed to advance several hundred meters towards the city, it was said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reports progress: “The fighting is tough, but we are moving forward. That is very important,” said the leader in his daily evening speech on Monday evening. “I thank our boys for every Ukrainian flag returning now” in the villages that have been recaptured.
Russia said it had repelled Ukrainian attacks in Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk and in Levadne in Zaporizhia.
Yesterday evening Kiev already reported the recapture of Makarivka. And earlier on Sunday, Ukraine also claimed to have recaptured the villages of Blahodatne and Neskuchne, also in western Donetsk province.
According to Housen, these are very small villages, with between eight and 15 houses and a few farms. “So it’s really minimal,” he said tonight in ‘De Afspraak’ on Canvas. “It is a total of 0.0006 percent of the territory occupied by Russia. So very limited.”
Initial phase
The center of gravity of the battle is currently in the Zaporizhia region in the south, between Orikhiv and Voehledar. In the vicinity of Bachmoet, there has also been an intensified battle since less than a week, according to Housen. Just like a region south of Kupyansk. He speaks of “the initial phase” of Ukraine’s major counter-offensive.
LOOK. Wagner boss threatens member to join Ukraine
“Currently, Ukraine has deployed about 15 percent of its strike force,” he says. “They still have a lot up their sleeves and we haven’t seen the real main attacks yet. Ukraine is still scanning Russian defense lines for weak spots. Once they have found it, they will deploy their reserves with the main strike force as soon as possible to make some breaches.”
The Ukrainian army has been carrying out heavy attacks against the Russians in Donetsk and Zaporizhia for days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that the Ukrainian army at the front is carrying out both “counter-offensive and defensive actions”. The president declined to provide more details.
LOOK. Rus tumbles from an armored vehicle and is left behind: footage shows his comrades riding on a landmine seconds later
Has the destruction of the dam also blown up Ukraine’s counteroffensive? Colonel Housen analyzes the impact (+)
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss a thing of the stars.