Ukrainian army liberates Pyatykhatky in Zaporizhzhia region and advances 7 km in Tavria direction — Ukraine’s Defense Ministry 

This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Hanna Maliar.

“During the last two weeks, the Tavria units carried out offensive operations in the Berdyansk and Melitopol directions, resulting in the liberation of eight settlements: Novodarivka, Levadne, Storozheve, Makarivka, Blahodatne, Lobkove, Neskuchne, and Pyatykhatky,” she said. 

Maliar mentioned that overall, the units in the Tavria direction managed to advance approximately 7 km into the occupied territory. The area reclaimed in the southern region measures 113 square kilometers.

According to her, there was an offensive in various directions in the south during the previous week. The missile troops and artillery units of the Defense Forces in the Tavria direction conducted a total of 10,125 firing operations.

Maliar emphasized that the Defense Forces in the Tavria region continue their active efforts.

A video has been posted online in which soldiers of the 128th separate mountain assault Transcarpathian brigade and the 2nd separate rifle battalion confirm the liberation of Pyatikhatky on June 18.

The situation in the east

Ukraine's deputy defense minister said that in the east, the Russian army put a lot of effort into stopping the advance of our troops in the Bakhmut direction. They have sent more units there and increased their shelling.

According to the Deputy Minister, although the overall intensity of fighting decreased last week, there were still 41 skirmishes, and our troops managed to push deeper into enemy territory in some areas.

She emphasized that thanks to the professionalism and bravery of our fighters, we have not lost any land in these directions. The enemy has fired over 5,800 rounds and used more than 270,000 rounds of ammunition in the past week.

• On June 11, the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced the liberation of the settlements of Blahodatne, Neskuchne, and Makarivka near the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
• On June 12, Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar reported that the state flag is once again flying over Storozheve in the Donetsk region.
• She further mentioned that during the past week, the Armed Forces have liberated 7 settlements and advanced 6.5 km.
• On June 19, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the enemy's main focus is in the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka areas. Despite their attempts to advance, they have not been successful.