Ukrainian troops pressed to recapture Russian-held areas

Ukrainian troops continued their campaign to retake Russian-held areas in the southeast on Sunday, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

He stated that Ukraine’s forces had “taken the initiative” after a previous slowdown. Heavy fighting was reported outside the eastern city of Bakhmut, which had been captured by Russian mercenary Wagner forces in May. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov confirmed the deployment of one of his units in the area.

Ukraine, equipped with advanced Western weaponry after over 500 days of war, launched a counter-offensive aimed at capturing a cluster of villages in the southwest and reclaiming territories to capture a cluster of villages in the southwest and reclaimurrounding Bakhmut.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar mentioned heavy fighting in two southeastern areas and stated that gains were being consolidated. Russian troops were defending Bakhmut, while Ukrainian forces had made some progress on the city’s southern flank.

Ukrainian forces were engaged in heavy fighting west of Bakhmut and near Lyman in the Donetsk region. Zelenskiy, in an interview with a US television network ahead of the NATO summit, expressed the desire for faster advances but emphasized that Ukraine held the initiative.

The village of Klishchiivka, located south of Bakhmut, received significant attention, with reports suggesting Ukrainian forces had gained important positions in the area. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have repelled Ukrainian advances near Bakhmut, citing the intensity of daily fire and challenging topography. However, these reports could not be independently verified.

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