Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar on Wednesday confirmed that 'extremely fierce battles' are raging in parts of the country as forces continue their counter-offensive against the Russian troops. In a social media post, Maliar said that the Ukrainian troops had advanced around Bakhmut, which has been the hub of attacks for quite some time. In her post, she said that soldiers advanced by a good 200-500m towards the city and advanced 300-500m in the Southern Zaporizhzhia province, reported news agency IANS.
“Our soldiers are moving in conditions of extremely fierce fighting, air and artillery superiority of the enemy,” Maliar wrote.
In the same post, she also admitted that the counter-offensive has resulted in some 'extremely fierce battles' as Ukrainian troops try to penetrate the well-established Russian defensive lines. IANS quoted officials as saying that since the launch of the counter-offensive on June 10, seven settlements and at least 90 sq km of land have been recaptured.
Maliar's claims come as Russia steps up its bombing campaign despite Russian President Vladimir Putin saying that his forces are suffering from a shortage of missiles and drones. The latest wave of attacks included a relatively rare strike on the Black Sea port city of Odesa on Wednesday, which led to the death of three people and left 13 injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his nightly address to the nation thanked the citizens. He said, "Everyone who is currently fighting in the east and south of our country, opening up strategic space for Ukraine, space for movement to victory, I thank all those who are now on the offensive and on the defensive, who are storming the occupiers‘ positions and repelling their attacks."
The troops of both countries continue to engage in severe battles even after over 15 months since Putin sent his forces across Ukrainian cities. Russian forces tried and failed to capture Kyiv in the hours and days after the invasion began on Feb. 24 last year.