Ukrainian forces have liberated 47 square kilometers in counteroffensive on Bakhmut front

Ukrainian defenders have already liberated about 47 square kilometers of territory on the Bakhmut front in the course of the counteroffensive.

Local dynamics are changing somewhat in the east, but the east remains the Russian offensive's main direction, Rubryka reports, citing Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar. The Russian occupiers are continuously trying to advance in the Lyman, Kupiansk, Maryinka, and Avdiivka axis.

The deputy minister said on the air of the national telethon that it is "really hot" on the Bakhmut front. Battles are raging around Bakhmut — both in the south and in the north. On the northern flank, it was "very hot" throughout the last week in the areas of Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka, and Ozerianivka. The Russians unsuccessfully tried to restore the lost position.

The minister added that Bakhmut is the direction of the Ukrainian offensive in the east. Since the beginning of this offensive, 47 square kilometers have been de-occupied. During the past week, 3 square kilometers were de-occupied in the areas of Klishchiivka, Kurdiumivka, and Ozerianivka.

Maliar noted that just two weeks ago, the epicenter of the fighting in the east was Kupiansk, and the Lyman direction remains active. The number of shellings there remains high, and enemy attacks persist. The deputy minister said several Russian attacks are repulsed daily in the Kupiansk direction. At the same time, on the Lyman front, the Russian occupiers are trying to move into the Novoiehorivka and Bilohorivka areas, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine are powerfully stopping them.

Maliar also reported that it is "very hot" in the Avdiivka and Maryinka directions. Last week, the Russian troops tried to advance in the areas of Avdiivka, Maryinka, Krasnohorivka, and Novomykhailivka. At the same time, the Ukrainian military is on active defense and does not allow the enemy to surround Avdiivka or capture Maryinka.

"It's a very active and hard work, even though it's just a statement in the news: 'Battles are going on,'" she said.

If you generally analyze eastward, the intensity remains the same, she said. The Russians conduct about 8,000 rounds of shelling per week and use approximately 400,000 rounds of ammunition.

Situation in the east

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russians have conducted an unsuccessful offensive in the Avdiivka area over the past day. Ukrainian defenders also continued holding back the advance of Russian troops in the Maryinka area. The Ukrainian Defense Forces continued their offensive in the Bakhmut direction in the Donetsk region and advanced while successfully destroying enemy equipment.

Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, the commander of the Tavria operational and strategic grouping, reported that in the south of the country, Ukrainian defenders are between the first and second lines of Russian defense, while the Russian forces spent 60% of their time on the construction of the first line and only 20% on the other two because they did not expect that the Ukrainian forces would pass it.

In the past 24 hours, Ukrainian defenders destroyed another 460 Russian occupiers; the total losses of the Russian army in Ukraine exceeded 265,000 in manpower.