A senior security official in Ukraine stated on Tuesday that the Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces has been highly successful in recent days, with Ukrainian troops accomplishing their main objectives.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, made these comments, marking Kyiv’s latest positive assessment of the month-long counterattack. However, Russia has not acknowledged Ukraine’s gains.

Despite fierce Russian resistance, Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar reported advances around the heavily damaged city of Bakhmut. Russian forces had captured the city in May after ten months of intense battles.

While Russia still holds significant portions of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine following its full-scale invasion that began in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Monday that his troops had made progress after a challenging week.

Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, emphasized on Twitter that Ukraine’s Defense Forces were currently focused on their primary objective: inflicting maximum damage on the Russian army’s personnel, equipment, fuel depots, military vehicles, command posts, artillery, and air defense forces. He mentioned that the last few days had been particularly fruitful but did not provide specific details from the battlefield.

Valeriy Shershen, spokesperson for the Tavria military command in southern Ukraine, stated that Ukrainian troops had advanced up to 2 km (1.2 miles) in the Berdiansk direction, despite encountering strong resistance from Russian forces.

Deputy Defence Minister Maliar reported daily gains by Ukrainian forces in areas surrounding Bakhmut. She mentioned heavy fighting in the north, where there had been no advance yet, while Ukrainian forces encountered significant resistance from the enemy pouring in all its forces in the south and east. Russian forces were also making advances further north, near Lyman and Svatove.

In Makiivka, a town in the Russian-controlled part of Donetsk region, Ukraine’s military claimed to have destroyed a formation of Russian forces, resulting in one civilian death and 36 civilian injuries, according to Russia-installed officials.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported that its forces had thwarted Ukraine’s advances in five areas of eastern Donetsk region. It also claimed to have repelled attacks near Lyman and disrupted enemy operations in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Ukraine asserts its forces have captured a cluster of villages.

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s General Staff reported successful repulsion of Russian attacks in Kupiansk in the north, Bakhmut, and near the contested towns of Avdiivka and Maryinka to the south.

On Tuesday, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking Moscow with at least five drones, all of which were either shot down or jammed. Flights at one of the capital’s airports were rerouted for several hours in response.

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