Ukraine reports advances near Bakhmut and successes on southern frontline

Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense, Hanna Maliar, shared the information on Telegram.

"Today, the Ukrainian Defense Forces restrained the offensive of Russian troops on the Kupyansk, Lyman, Avdiivka and Marinka directions. It was successful. The enemy did not advance. Heavy fighting continues," the statement said.

In the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lead their offensive on the southern flank around Bakhmut:

"There is progress. Our defenders are now consolidating their positions on the occupied lines."

The Ukrainian Defense Forces also continued their offensive in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions:

"The military is performing many tasks aimed at weakening the enemy and working out the situation for further actions. In recent weeks, our defenders on the southern frontline have significantly undermined the enemy's offensive and defense capabilities. Thus, due to the destruction of a large number of ammunition depots, the number of enemy attacks has now decreased."

The successes of the Ukrainian Defense Forces are also evidenced by the analysis of the situation at the frontline, as presented in the latest Espreso’s Ukraine Russia war live map.

Ukraine’s counteroffensive

On June 4, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a counteroffensive on the southern frontline, continuing a series of offensives near Bakhmut and in other directions.

On June 24, the Ukrainian Defense Forces officially confirmed the liberation of the territories near Krasnohorivka in the Donetsk region, which had been under occupation since 2014.

On the morning of July 3, Hanna Maliar reported that the Ukrainian military liberated about 38 square kilometers. 

On July 4, it was reported that Ukrainian military forces were advancing on the southern flank around Bakhmut in Donetsk region and in the south.

On July 6, the Ukrainian Armed Forces were advancing and consolidating their positions in 3 areas, namely Bakhmut, Melitopol and Berdiansk, while holding the defense line in Kupyansk.

On July 7, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported that the Defense Forces were advancing on the flanks of Bakhmut and grinding the enemy to a halt in the south, with the ratio of Russian army losses being more than five times higher. 

Also on Saturday, July 8, it was reported that the Ukrainian military had achieved tactically significant gains in the area of Bakhmut. At the same time, Ukrainian forces continued their counteroffensive in at least three other areas of the front.

Later, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said that the Chechen special forces "Akhmat" had been redeployed to the Bakhmut direction: Kadyrov's men were allegedly in Klishchiivka.

On July 10, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that Bakhmut was under the fire control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces emphasized that since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had liberated 169 km² of Ukrainian land in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, an area commensurate with the size of Odesa. In the Bakhmut direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces regained 24 km² of Ukrainian territory.

On July 12, the General Staff reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had hit the Duna hotel in Berdiansk. Russians forces were taking away the bodies of the killed soldiers by truck. Ukrainian aviation carried out 6 strikes on concentrations of Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment and 2 on air defense systems. Over the day, Ukrainian missile and artillery units destroyed 1 control center, 16 artillery pieces at firing positions, 4 anti-aircraft missile systems and 2 electronic warfare stations.