ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine — Ukrainian forces advanced about a mile in some areas of the front line near the eastern city of Bakhmut, the military said on Saturday, claiming victory in one of three ongoing battles as Ukraine’s counter-offensive is taking shape in the country. South East.
Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty, a spokesman for the eastern military command, told local television that the Ukrainian army launched the attack near Bakhmut to take advantage of the rotation of Russian units in the area. He said Ukrainian troops had engaged in six skirmishes near Bakhmut in the past 24 hours.
He did not specify where Ukraine had progressed and his claims could not be independently verified. Russia did not comment directly on Ukraine’s claim of advances in Bakhmut, but its forces say they are repelling Ukrainian attacks in three areas that have been the focus of fighting as the counter-offensive. happenning.
Ukrainian troops are fighting in the fields and in the rolling grassy hills west of Bakhmut, most of which was driven out of the city last month after the longest and bloodiest battle of the war.
With Russia seeing the capture of the city as a victory, it must now defend it or risk an embarrassing defeat. Ukrainian military analysts and officers say that Ukraine’s goal in Bakhmut is to force Russia to move troops from elsewhere in southern Ukraine to protect Bakhmut’s ruins and cause casualties.
“Our main objective remains unchanged,” Cherevaty said, “to do maximum damage to the enemy.”
To the southwest of Bakhmut, Ukraine is fighting in two locations seen as the heart of a broader counter-attack aimed at cutting off Russia’s rail and road links connecting Russia with the occupied Crimean Peninsula. Battles near the towns of Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region and Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk region have broken out over the past week. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the fighting in these areas.
US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss significant military operations, have Ukrainian army confirmation, as expected, suffered casualties and equipment loss during the initial engagement. Russian losses are unclear, but attackers often suffered heavier initial casualties than entrenched defenders.
As fighting escalates along the front, the two militaries are also firing long-range missiles, missiles and drones at distant targets.
From Friday night to Saturday, Russian cruise and ballistic missiles and exploding drones hit an airfield, said Dmytro Lunin, head of the region’s military administration. Ukrainian military aircraft near Poltava, east of Kyiv. Mr. Lunin said that the strike caused a fire and damaged equipment, but that no one was killed or injured.
Ivan Fedorov, mayor of the city of Melitopol, told local media that in Russian-occupied territory, an explosion damaged the resort complex on the Sea of Azov, where Russian forces are stationed. army. He said Russian forces then evacuated the site.
