Ukrainian forces liberate more than 30 km² in Bakhmut direction, and almost 180 km² in south

This was announced by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

In the past week, there have been daily successes in these areas. Just in the last few days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated nearly 11 square kilometers of land in the southern region near Melitopol and Berdyansk in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Furthermore, south of the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk, the Defense Forces reclaimed around 7 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.

Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar stated that a total of almost 18 square kilometers have been freed as a result of Ukraine's offensive actions in the past week. Since the beginning of the counteroffensive, the overall liberated area has reached 210.5 square kilometers.

In the eastern region, the Ukrainian forces are successfully resisting despite continuous intense fighting

According to Maliar, the enemy has been actively advancing in the Kupyansk direction of the Kharkiv region since the end of last week.

Currently, the Russians are searching for weaknesses in Ukraine's defense and launching assaults in Masyutivka and Novoselivske settlements, aiming to push Ukrainian units beyond the Oskil River barrier line.

Maliar highlighted that the enemy has two objectives: to regain lost positions and to compel the Ukrainian army to redirect reserves from other directions. However, our troops are holding a defensive stance and displaying strong resistance, despite the extremely challenging situation and fierce ongoing battles.

"In the past week, we made continuous progress on the southern flank near Bakhmut. Over the week, we freed an area of 7 square kilometers by improving our operational position and stabilizing the front line in the Bakhmut direction. In total, the liberated area in this direction reaches 31 square kilometers," she added.

The Defense Forces of Ukraine are making significant progress in the southern regions

In the southern parts of Ukraine, the Defense Forces are carrying out an offensive operation towards Melitopol and Berdyansk. Successful advances have been made in various directions, including Makarivka, Staromayorske; Novodarivka, Priyutne; Mala Tokmachka, Novopokrovka; Pyatykhatky, Hrozove.

According to Maliar, in certain areas, the enemy has moved further away from our defensive line as a result of the offensive actions. Over the past week, an additional 10.9 square kilometers of territory has been liberated.

In total, the overall progress in the southern offensive is 9.25 kilometers, with a total liberated area of 179.5 square kilometers.

The deputy defense minister also reported the destruction of 134 enemy heavy weapons and military equipment, along with 36 ammunition depots and 2 fuel and lubricant depots in the Tavria direction. Additionally, 50 Russian soldiers have been captured.

• As of the morning of July 17, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the Russian army is concentrating its main efforts on the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka directions. There were 28 combat clashes in these areas during the previous day.