Synopsis: Ukrainian troops pressed on with their campaign to recapture Russian-held areas.
On Sunday, Ukrainian troops continued their campaign to retake Russian-controlled territory in the southeast. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed in broadcast remarks that his nation’s military had “taken the initiative” after a previous slowdown.
According to Russian reports, there was intense fighting in the countryside around Bakhmut, an eastern city that Russian mercenary Wagner forces finally took control of in May after months of fighting.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, claimed that one of his forces was stationed nearby.
After more than 500 days of fighting, Ukraine has begun an anticipated counteroffensive, concentrating so far on seizing a group of communities in the southwest and armed with increasingly advanced Western weapons.
Additionally, its forces have been attempting to reclaim territories near Bakhmut.
Hanna Maliar, the deputy minister of defense of Ukraine, reported fierce fighting in two southeasterly regions in a post on the messaging app Telegram.
“We are consolidating our gains in those areas,” she wrote.
She claimed that while Ukrainian forces had made “a certain advance” on the city’s southern side, Russian troops were protecting Bakhmut.
The situation to the north of Bakhmut remained unchanged, and Ukrainian forces continued to fight fiercely farther north in the Donetsk region, west of Bakhmut and close to Lyman.
Before this week’s NATO summit in Lithuania, where Kyiv hopes to obtain concrete hints about both future membership in the Western defense alliance and guarantees for its security, Zelenskiy was interviewed on the American television network ABC.
Zelenskiy admitted that progress was slower than he and his generals had hoped, but claimed that Ukrainian forces were in control.
“We all want to do it more quickly because every day brings about additional Ukrainian casualties. We’re moving forward.
We are not trapped,” he declared, pointing out that the military has recently emerged from a “sort of stagnation.”
Everyone here would like to see the counteroffensive completed sooner. However, reality exists. The initiative is currently in our favor.
The settlement of Klishchiivka, located on heights south of Bakhmut, has received a lot of attention lately.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, fighting was difficult due to “not only the daily intensity of fire and battle but also by topography,” as Russian soldiers successfully stopped Ukrainian advances close to Bakhmut. Between two hills is where the line of contact is.
Denys Popovych, a military analyst for Ukraine, claimed that Ukrainian forces had occupied key locations near Klishchiivka.
According to him, this will allow artillery to dominate Klishchiivka itself, some of Bakhmut, and supply routes. “We will encircle the city just as Wagner did.”
The fighting near Bakhmut remains intense, but Ukraine aims to encircle the city and regain control of strategic areas.
The initiative currently favors Ukraine, and President Zelenskiy is seeking support and security guarantees from NATO at the upcoming summit.
