Ukraine prepares ‘biggest blow’ as it claims recapture of 8 villages from Russia
- Ukraine’s president claims no terrain lost so far in counteroffensive against Russian forces
- Russia said it had repelled numerous assaults and seized a French-made tank from Ukraine
Ukraine said it had driven Russian forces out of an eighth village in its two-week-old counteroffensive and a defence official vowed Kyiv’s “biggest blow” lay ahead despite tough resistance from Moscow’s troops.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had retaken Piatykhatky, a settlement on a heavily fortified part of the front line near the most direct route to the country’s Azov Sea coast.
This was part of an advance by Kyiv of up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land.
“The enemy will not easily give up their positions, and we must prepare ourselves for a tough duel,” Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app on Monday. The military “are moving as they should have been moving. And the biggest blow is yet to come”.
She said the fiercest fighting was in the east and south of Ukraine. Separately, she said Ukraine’s military was preventing a Russian advance in the east where it concentrated its units, including air assault troops.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly video address that Kyiv’s military was moving forward in some sectors and defending against intensified attacks in others. But the net outcome was favourable for Ukraine, he said.