Ukrainian troops liberate 24 km² in Bakhmut sector, 169 km² in southern Ukraine

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported the information.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces carry out offensive operations in the Melitopol, Berdiansk and Bakhmut sectors.

Over the past week, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced by over a kilometer on the southern front line. In total, since the beginning of the offensive in these areas, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced up to 8.6 kilometers. Over the past week, over 10 km² of Ukrainian land was liberated in southern Ukraine.

"Since the beginning of the offensive in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have liberated 169 km² of Ukrainian land from Russian invaders. This is roughly the size of the city of Odesa!" the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces emphasized.

Mine clearance measures are currently underway in these areas.

In addition, last week Ukrainian soldiers liberated 4 km² of territory from Russian invading forces in the Bakhmut direction. In total, the liberated area in the Bakhmut direction amounts to 24 km² of Ukrainian land.

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 11, the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced the liberation of Blahodatne, Neskuchne, and Makarivka settlements, near the border of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. On the morning of June 12, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that the Ukrainian state flag was raised again over Storozhove, Donetsk region.

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 June 26, Hanna Maliar reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have advanced 1 to 2 kilometers on the eastern frontline in the past week. During the offensive in the southern direction, the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated 130 square kilometers. The Ukrainian Armed Forces also de-occupied the village of Rivnopil, Donetsk region. 

British Defence Minister Ben Wallace stated that Ukraine has already liberated more territory as part of the summer counteroffensive campaign than Russia had captured during the entire winter offensive.

But Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that the already liberated settlements were not the "main event" but rather the prelude to a major counteroffensive.

Specialists of the Institute for the Study of War believe that the Russian military is likely to bring additional forces to Bakhmut from other directions in response to Ukrainian offensive operations in the area.

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.

On July 9, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Land Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Ukrainian troops continue to advance in the Bakhmut direction, and that Russian forces are getting trapped in some places.