On July 14, Ukrainian soldiers in the Kharkiv region prepared to fire on Russian positions from M777s. Photo: Evgenij Maloletka/AP/NTB
Fighting has intensified in eastern Ukraine in recent days, and Ukraine says it is on the defensive against Russian forces in the Kharkiv region.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malgar said on Telegram that Russian forces have been attacking in the direction of Kubzhansk, in the Kharkiv region, two days ago.
– We’re on the defensive. There are tough matches, and positions change several times a day, she says.
Malgar said the Ukrainians and Russians are clashing in the Bakhmut area, but Ukrainian forces are advancing along the southern flank.
She added that the Ukrainian forces are holding on to their positions against the Russian attacks also on Adivka and Marginka.
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Sunday that the Ukrainian counterattack had failed.
– All the enemy’s attempts to break through our defenses were unsuccessful. They have not succeeded since the offensive began. Putin said in an interview broadcast on Russian state television that the enemy had failed.
In June, Ukraine launched a long-awaited counter-offensive to recapture Russian-occupied regions. Ukraine has made some progress, but admits the offensive is going slower than it had hoped.
On Friday, Ukraine reported that it had advanced nearly two kilometers along the southern front in the past week.
– The chief of staff of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Andrei Germak, said today that things are not going so quickly.
Russian missiles have been launched into Ukraine from the Russian province of Belgorod, as seen from Kharkiv on Sunday. Photo: Vadim Belikov/AP/NTB
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