Ukraine says it has retaken 8 villages from Russian forces in 2 weeks
Global News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would continue talks with western allies to get weapons and ammunition supplies to troops as soon as possible.
Ukraine said on Monday it had driven Russian forces from an eighth village in its two-week-old counteroffensive, a settlement on a heavily fortified part of the front line near the most direct route to the country’s Azov Sea coast.
A Russian-installed official said on Sunday that Ukraine had taken control of the village, Piatykhatky, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. He later said Moscow had pushed them out and on Monday morning he said Ukraine was attacking again.
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had not only retaken Piatykhatky but had advanced by up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land.
“In the course of two weeks of offensive operations in the Berdiansk and Melitopol directions, eight settlements were liberated,” Maliar said on Telegram, referring to two cities on the Russian-occupied coastline.
The reported capture of the villages reflects incremental gains for Ukraine that highlight the challenge of breaking through lines Moscow has spent months strengthening. Piatykhatky is significant, however, as lies around 90 km from the coast.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the efforts of the troops and said he would continue talks with western allies to get weapons and ammunition supplies to them as soon as possible.
“Our troops are advancing, position by position, step by step, we are moving forward,” he said on Sunday evening. “The main thing is the speed of supply.”
On Monday, the Russian Defence Ministry said its forces had thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to take the village of Novodonetske in the eastern Donetsk region, another area where Kyiv’s counteroffensive has been focused.