The Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine Hanna Maliar said Monday that Russia is continuing its offensive in the east and intensifying its activity near Kupiansk and Lyman.
“Currently, there is a certain decrease in the number of attacks and ammunition used by the enemy in the east, but this does not mean that the enemy has retreated from its plans,” Maliar said in a Telegram post. The enemy is currently regrouping and trying to restore the lost capabilities. The fighting continues.”
“Our defenders managed to prevent the enemy’s advance and significantly reduced its offensive potential,” she said.
Heavy fighting also continues near Bakhmut, Maliar said, adding that Russian forces are attempting to regain lost ground in the areas west of Klishchiivka, west of Andriivka and Kurdyumivka. Ukraine has managed to liberate three more square kilometers in the Bakhmut area, bringing the total area recaptured to 40 square kilometers, she said.
In the south, Ukrainian Defense Forces are conducting offensive operations in the areas of Melitopol and Berdiansk, according to Maliar.
“In the direction of Urozhaine, south and southeast of Staromayorsk in Donetsk region, they [Ukrainian forces] have succeeded and are consolidating the achieved positions,” Maliar added. “In the course of the offensive, the Ukrainian defense forces in the Tavria sector continue to liberate Urozhaine.”
Kyiv has pushed back on criticism that its troops are not advancing fast enough, saying that it is focused on destroying Russia’s capabilities and disrupting its logistics.
“The task of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is not to organize large-scale battles for every settlement on the way to the 1991 borders, but to systematically destroy the capabilities of the enemy army: its logistics, technical potential, officers and personnel. And today, Ukrainian defenders are coping with this task one hundred percent,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office.
“Long-range missiles for Ukraine now mean a sharp reduction in Russia’s combat capabilities. This is the active destruction of Russia’s reserves and resources on the far outskirts,” Podolyak said in a Monday post on the social media platform “X.”
“This is the destruction of rear logistics — warehouses, transportation, fuel. It is the acceleration of Ukrainian offensive operations. It is about saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, minimizing losses… And most importantly, it is about de-escalation,” he added.
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