Ukraine declares to regain 100 square kilometers of territory

Ukrainian forces have recaptured seven villages covering more than 100 square kilometers of territory in a counteroffensive since last week, a Ukrainian general said.

"We are ready to continue fighting to liberate the territory, even with bare hands," Ukrainian Brigadier General Oleksii Hromov said at a press conference on June 15.

He confirmed that in the first phase of the counter-offensive that began last week, seven villages in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia provinces had been liberated. According to Ukrainian military officials, their forces advanced 3 km near the village of Mala Tokmachka in Zaporizhzhia and 7 km near the village of Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk, with a total area of over 100 square kilometers of land recaptured.

Russia has not responded to this information.

A group of Ukrainian soldiers during a training session in Kharkov on June 13. Photo: AFP — A group of Ukrainian soldiers during a training session in Kharkov on June 13. Photo: *AFP*

After launching a series of attacks on Russian defense lines, Ukraine lost many soldiers and weapons, including Leopard 2 main battle tanks and M2 Bradley armored vehicles. The Russian Defense Ministry said on June 14 that about 7,500 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed or wounded on the front line after more than a week, but Kiev did not confirm this information.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on June 14 called on NATO members to ensure Ukraine has enough weapons to pursue a counter-offensive to regain territory. According to Stoltenberg, Ukraine's counter-offensive is "making progress", but he said it was too early to know whether this was a turning point in the conflict.

Russia has recently launched a series of raids to prevent Ukraine’s counter-offensive, focusing on enemy bases and ammunition depots. Ukraine and Western experts believe that Russia’s raids are also aimed at depleting enemy anti-aircraft ammunition, forcing them to fire expensive shells to counter cheap missiles and UAVs.