Ukrainian army reports gains near Staromaiorske, Donetsk region 

He shared the information on the Espreso TV channel

"Heavy fighting continues in the Tavria sector. Ukrainian units are trying to move forward and gain a foothold in the liberated areas. You have probably already heard that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have had some success in Staromaiorske. However, the enemy is now counter-attacking and trying to regain lost ground. This is nothing new in Russian tactics. As soon as we enter their positions, they start counterattacking," said Kurbatov.

The spokesman stressed that the Russian forces have suffered heavy losses in the Tavria sector

"We still have a lot of work to do. Enemy mortars and artillery are very active in our direction. The Russian forces are also trying to bring reinforcements to the lost positions. This suggests that the Russian forces are constantly suffering losses. In our direction, the enemy loses 2 companies every day. In particular, in killed and wounded," he added.

• Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine Hanna MalIar said that as of July 24, since the beginning of the counter-offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, more than 192 km² of Ukrainian territory have been liberated in the south, and 35 km² in the Bakhmut sector. 

• In the Bakhmut sector, the Ukrainian Defence Forces drove Russian forces out of their positions near Andriivka, while in the Staromaiorske sector they succeeded and are consolidating their positions.