So far, the Ukrainian counter-offensive has fallen short of its own expectations. Kiev is now reporting that it has recaptured important key positions around the long-contested Bakhmut from the Russian army.
The Ukrainian army says it has regained control of key hills near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region from Russian troops.
“In Bakhmut, our defenders have been keeping the entrances, exits and enemy movements in the city under fire control for several days,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Telegram. “During the advance, our soldiers took control of important command heights around Bakhmut,” Maljar continued.
The commander-in-chief of the land forces, Olexander Syrskyj, had also announced that the Russian troops had been pushed back at Bakhmut. “The enemy is trapped,” said the colonel general.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.
Kyiv: More than 200 Square kilometre recaptured
In May, Russian troops announced that after months of devastating fighting, they had conquered the badly damaged city, which once had a population of more than 70,000, with the help of the Wagner mercenary group. In the past few weeks, the Ukrainian army has again reported progress around the city. It launched its long-awaited counter-offensive in early June to recapture the Russian-held areas in the east and south of the country, but it has so far failed to meet Kiev’s expectations.
“We would all wish that the counteroffensive could be completed in a shorter time. But there is a reality. Today the initiative is on our side,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC television in the run-up to the NATO summit in Lithuania. “We’re making progress. We’re not stuck,” Zelenskyj continued.
According to Deputy Defense Minister Maljar, the Ukrainian army has liberated a total of 24 square kilometers in eastern Ukraine since the start of the offensive. In southern Ukraine there are a good 169 square kilometers. In the past week, a total of around 14 square kilometers have been added in both directions.