Kyiv[Ukraine], June 12: Ukraine said on Sunday its troops had made territorial advances on three villages in its southeast, the first liberated settlements it has reported since launching a counter-offensive this past week.
Kyiv's forces posted unverified videos showing soldiers hoisting the Ukrainian flag at a bombed-out building in the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk region and posing with their unit's flag in the adjacent village of Neskuchne.
"We're seeing the first results of the counter-offensive actions, localized results," ValeryiShershen, spokesperson for Ukraine's "Tavria" military sector, said on television.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar later said Ukrainian forces had "deoccupied" Makarivka, the next village to the south, and advanced between 300 and 1,500 metres in two directions on the southern front.
"No positions were lost on the directions where our forces are on the defensive," Maliar added on Telegram.
Reuters was unable to verify battlefield reports.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that a Ukrainian military push was underway, but that it had failed to breach Russian defensive lines and taken heavy casualties.
Ukraine's president, VolodymyrZelenskiy, praised his troops in his nightly video address, but made no reference to the specific areas where the fighting was reported.
"Of course, I am thankful to our soldiers for this day," Zelenskiy said, referring only to the two main sectors of the fighting in the east and the south.
"Each one of our combat brigades, each of our units."
Zelenskiy on Saturday had given his strongest signal yet that Kyiv has launched its long-awaited counterattack to seize back land in the east and south, confirming that "counteroffensive and defensive operations" were taking place.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation