KIEV (dpa-AFX) – In the course of its counter-offensive, the Ukrainian army has confirmed information about smaller gains in territory in the south. In the Zaporizhia region, liberated positions on the Berdyansk and Melitopol directions should now be reinforced, said Ukrainian General Staff Spokesman Andriy Kovalyov on Friday. According to the Defense Ministry, two Russian attacks in the east of the country have been stopped.
Ukrainian defenders stopped enemy advances near Lyman and Kupyansk, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Telegram. At the beginning of the week Maljar said that Russia was trying to regain the initiative at Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region and at Lyman in the adjacent Luhansk region. Heavy fighting is also continuing in the eastern region of Donetsk.
Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine on February 24, 2022 and has been waging a war of aggression ever since. A few weeks ago, the Ukrainian army launched a long-awaited counter-offensive and, according to its own statements, has since liberated eight villages and an area of 113 square kilometers. While international observers also repeatedly note minor Ukrainian successes, Moscow always claims to successfully fend off all attacks./ash/DP/stk