"We did it": Ukrainian army presses forward, raising flag over Kurdiumivka dam in Donetsk region
On the Bakhmut front, Ukrainian soldiers raised the state flag on the Kurdiumivska dam in the eastern Donetsk region.
The 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign separate mechanized brigade published a video from the scene of the brutal battles on the Telegram messaging app.
As reported, this happened on Monday, June 26, after a successful assault by Ukrainian soldiers.
Ukrainian fighters assured that they would undoubtedly come after every aggressor and retaliate for the Donbas mutilated by the Russian army.
"Emotions of our soldiers after a successful assault," the brigade captioned the video. Ukrainian military personnel can be seen in the footage, apparently taken immediately after the fierce battle.
"Kurdiumivka, dam, June 26. We did it in a day and a half. Show those who will do it better!" said the video's author.
Later, a Ukrainian military man appears in the frame, installing the blue-yellow national flag of Ukraine on the Kurdiumivka Dam.
"The assault squad on the Kurdiumivska dam, 28th brigade. Let them see and know we will come for them," says a voice behind the screen.
To recap, the 1st mechanized battalion of the 28th separate mechanized brigade conducted a successful assault on the positions of the Russian occupiers in the Kurdiumivka area. The video shows the work of the first mechanized company.
"The 1st mechanized battalion of the 28th Knights of the Winter Campaign separate mechanized brigade conducted a successful assault on the positions of the invaders in the Kurdiumivka area," the message emphasized.
The command reported that the battle ended in the defeat of the Russian battalion. Up to 35 Russian soldiers were eliminated, 40 escaped, and several invaders surrendered.
"This is an important success, as our soldiers broke through the defense that the enemy had been preparing for months. And this is the result of long, titanic work, training, and coordination," the brigade noted.
Earlier, it was reported that more territory was returned during the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine than was captured by Russia during the winter offensive, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, greeted the advancement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on all fronts. According to him, Ukrainian soldiers achieved essential results at the front.
However, as the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov clarified, some Armed Forces successes are not publicly reported. He also noted that Ukraine has not yet brought the main reserves into battle.
What we know about Ukrainian Counteroffensive
During the past week, June 19-25, Ukrainian troops increased the area of liberated territories by 17 square kilometers. Since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the freed area in the South is 130 square km.
As the joint press center spokesperson of Ukraine's Defense Forces, Valerii Shershen, reported, Ukrainian soldiers could advance another 1.5 kilometers on the Melitopol front in the past day. This success is the result of systematic pressure on the Russian occupiers.
On June 26, the commander of the Tavria operational-strategic grouping of troops, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, reported that Ukraine's Defense Forces are moving forward in the Tavria direction, there are already liberated territories, and Ukraine's movement continues. He said the Ukrainian Armed Forces performed 954 fire missions during the day.
Ukraine's Defense Forces also cleared the bridgehead of the Russian occupiers on the western bank of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas channel.
On June 24, it became known that near Krasnohorivka of the Donetsk region, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to free several positions under Russian occupation since 2014.
On June 26, Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar reported that the Defense Forces of Ukraine took control of the village of Rivnopil in the Donetsk region, which the Russians occupied.
Ukraine's armed forces have retaken more territory during counteroffensive than Russia gained in the winter offensive – British defense minister
Ukraine's counteroffensive has liberated 130 square kilometers of territory – defense ministry
