In an interview, the Russian President claimed that the Ukrainian counter-offensive was not making any progress.
Ukraine reported fierce fighting on the Eastern Front with Russian forces on Sunday. For his part, Vladimir Putin said that the counter-offensive launched by the Ukrainian army in June had been defeated.
The Ukrainian General Staff said the army “continues to conduct offensive actions in the Melitopol and Berdyansk Oblasts” in the south-east, where it is attempting to advance toward the Sea of Azov to cut Russian lines and isolate Crimea.
In the east, further north, “the situation has somewhat worsened” due to the efforts of the Russian armed forces to counterattack in several areas where the Ukrainian army is in a “defensive position”, his side informed Ukrainian MP Defense Minister Ganna Malyar.
“For two days in a row, the enemy actively attacked in the Kupyansk sector of the Kharkiv region,” she said on Sunday. “There is fierce fighting going on, and positions…changing several times a day.”
Kiev admitted it had fought difficult battles and urged its allies to provide more long-range weapons and artillery.
Advances in Bakhmout
However, the deputy minister argued that Ukrainian forces were “gradually advancing” near Bakhmout, a small town that came under Russian control in May after months of deadly clashes. Ukrainian soldiers are advancing south of Bachmout and trying to hold the captured positions north of the town, she added.
On the front line in the area, a commander of the Ukrainian artillery battalion of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade said he was satisfied with the counteroffensive, but said every meter of ground had been gained at the cost of fierce fighting.
“Every day that we cover 10, 20, 100 meters is already a big victory,” said the commander, identifying himself by the battle name “Boulat”.
“We surround Bakhmout and expel (the Russians) from Klychkhivka,” a village south of the city, said “Volyna,” the commander of an artillery battery.
In the south-east, the Ukrainian army announced on Friday that within a week it had advanced another nearly two kilometers towards Melitopol, a town occupied by the Russians shortly after they began their offensive in February 2022.
Optimistic Putin
In an interview with Rossia-1 television broadcast this Sunday, Vladimir Putin reiterated that the Ukrainian counter-offensive was making no progress.
“All attempts by the enemy to break through our defenses (…) have failed since the beginning of the offensive. The enemy has not achieved success,” the Russian President assured.
“Our troops are acting heroically. Unexpectedly for the opponent, they even go on the offensive in certain sectors and take more advantageous positions,” he said.