Ukraine Recaptures Three Villages from Russian Forces in Counteroffensive
Ukraine has reported the recapture of three villages from Russian forces in its southeast, marking the first liberated settlements since launching a counteroffensive. Soldiers hoisted the Ukrainian flag at a bombed-out building in an unverified video published on Sunday by Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade, which identified the settlement as Blahodatne in the Donetsk region. Myroslav Semeniuk, spokesman for the brigade, told The Associated Press that an assault team captured six Russian troops after entering several buildings where some 60 soldiers were holed up. The next village Ukraine plans to reclaim is Urozhayne, and it aims to proceed further south.
The Russian defence ministry on Sunday continued to insist it was repelling Ukrainian attacks in the area. It said in a statement that Ukrainian attempts at offensive operations on the southern Donetsk and Zaporizhia axes of the front line over the past 24 hours had been “unsuccessful”. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the Zaporizhia region, insisted Blahodatne and two other villages in the region were in a “grey area” in terms of who controls them.
The occupied southeast is seen as a likely priority for Kyiv’s forces that may aim to threaten Russia’s land bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula and split Russian forces in half. Russia captured the major city last year after besieging and bombarding it for several weeks. Russia has built vast fortifications across occupied territory to prepare for a Ukrainian counterattack using thousands of troops trained and equipped by the West.
In her statement, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar also said Ukrainian forces were continuing assault operations in the east near the devastated city of Bakhmut, and advanced 250m (820 feet) near the Berkhivka Reservoir. Russia said it captured the city of Bakhmut last month after the bloodiest and longest battle since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion, but Kyiv says it is regaining ground on the flanks of the city.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top adviser said six people were wounded after Russian troops opened fire on a boat evacuating people from areas to Ukrainian-held territory along a flooded front line far to the south. Chaotic scenes from inundated southern Ukraine marked the latest upheaval and bloodshed in Russia’s war in Ukraine, now in its 16th month.
Also Sunday, the Russian military accused Ukrainian forces of attacking – albeit unsuccessfully – one of its ships in the Black Sea. According to Russia’s defence ministry, the attempted attack took place when six unmanned speedboats targeted Russia’s Priazovye reconnaissance vessel that was “monitoring the situation and ensuring security along the routes of the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in the southeastern part of the Black Sea”. All the speedboats were destroyed by the Russian military, and the ship did not sustain any damage, the ministry said. The claim could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.
Ukraine and Russia reported exchanging scores of prisoners of war on Sunday. Russia said 94 of its soldiers were freed and Yermak said 95 Ukrainians were released.
The recapture of three villages by Ukrainian forces marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The occupied southeast is seen as a likely priority for Kyiv’s forces that may aim to threaten Russia’s land bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula and split Russian forces in half. However, with so little information and scant independent reporting from the front lines, it has been almost impossible to assess the battlefield situation.
The Russian defence ministry continues to insist it is repelling Ukrainian attacks in the area, but Ukrainian forces are continuing assault operations in the east near the devastated city of Bakhmut. The Ukrainian government says it is regaining ground on the flanks of the city, which Russia captured last month after the bloodiest and longest battle since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion.
The latest upheaval and bloodshed in Russia’s war in Ukraine occurred when Russian troops opened fire on a boat evacuating people from areas to Ukrainian-held territory along a flooded front line far to the south. Six people were wounded, and chaotic scenes from inundated southern Ukraine marked the latest development in the conflict.
The Russian military also accused Ukrainian forces of attacking one of its ships in the Black Sea, but the claim could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.
Ukraine and Russia reported exchanging scores of prisoners of war on Sunday, with Russia saying 94 of its soldiers were freed, and Ukraine said 95 Ukrainians were released. The exchange of prisoners is a positive development and may lead to further negotiations between the two sides.
In conclusion, the recapture of three villages by Ukrainian forces marks a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The occupied southeast is seen as a likely priority for Kyiv’s forces that may aim to threaten Russia’s land bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula and split Russian forces in half. However, with so little information and scant independent reporting from the front lines, it has been almost impossible to assess the battlefield situation. The latest upheaval and bloodshed in Russia’s war in Ukraine occurred when Russian troops opened fire on a boat evacuating people from areas to Ukrainian-held territory along a flooded front line far to the south. The exchange of prisoners is a positive development and may lead to further negotiations between the two sides.