Ukrainian troops have broken through the Russian defence line near the town of Bakhmut, the commander of Kyiv's ground forces General Oleksandre Syrsky said on Monday.
Following the recapture of the villages of Andriivka and Klichtchiivka over the past few days, "the enemy's defence line has been breached", said General Syrsky.
The re-capture of the village Klishchiivka on the eastern front came just a day after the Ukrainian flag was raised over Andriivka.
Ukraine claimed on Monday to have liberated 7 square kilometres of territory over the past week from Russian troops in the south and east.
Russia has not officially commented on Ukraine's claims, but its supporters in the Donetsk region have dismissed the significance of the victories saying the two villages are unoccupied and reduced to rubble.
“Our warriors, our heroes on the front line. I am proud of each of them. And I am grateful to each brigade for its strength!”, wrote Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Twitter, now called X.
He also used his Sunday night address
to thank the armed forces for capturing Klishchiivka near Bakhmut in the country’s east.
Grinding battles along the front in Donetsk have left few buildings, or even trees, standing.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in June to retake territories occupied by Russia, after receiving Western weapons and training.
Ukrainian soldiers now appear to be closing in on Bakhmut, the scene of one of the bloodiest battles in the war so far. Should they recapture the town it would be a major symbolic victory.
An ex-Wagner Russian mercenary told Euronews in July detailed harrowing accounts of the fighting in Bakmut, alongside lies and mutiny on the front.
Kyiv purges defence ministry
Six Ukrainian deputy defence ministers were fired on Monday, according to officials.
It comes a fortnight after Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov was dismissed amid a corruption scandal, involving the ministry's procurement of army uniforms at grossly inflated prices.
Deputy defence ministers including Hanna Maliar, Vitalii Deyneha and Denys Sharapov, as well as the state secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Kostiantyn Vashchenko, were fired, wrote Taras Melnychuk, permanent representative of the Cabinet of Ministers, on Telegram.
Melnychuk provided no explanation of the firings.
Maliar confirmed that both Andriivka and Klishchiivka had been liberated in a statement hours before it was announced that she had been relieved of her duties. Such moves are common following the appointment of a new minister.
Corruption has long been an endemic evil within Ukraine, though the country has made steps towards tackling the problem in recent years.
Human rights in Russia majorly deteriorated since war - UN
The human rights situation "has significantly deteriorated" in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, underlined a report by the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.
"The situation was already in constant decline over the last two decades, partly due to the two wars in Chechnya which ended in 2009", said UN rapporteur Mariana Katzarova, who is responsible for monitoring rights and freedoms in Russia.
While the report did not contain any surprises, it was a diplomatic blow to Moscow. This is the first time a rapporteur has been appointed to investigate one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Katzarova pointed to Moscow's attempts to "hinder" her work and deplored having had no access to Russia.
The report documents that "Russian authorities have severely restricted freedoms of association, peaceful assembly and expression, both online and offline, and have fundamentally undermined the independence of the judiciary and guarantees of 'a fair trial.'
Katzarova demanded the release of all political opponents arbitrarily detained, including Alexei Navalny, as well as dissidents Vladimir Kara-Mourza and Ilya Yashin.
She also described how women, particularly those working as rights defenders, activists or journalists, have "experienced specific gender-based violence, humiliation and intimidation."
Source: euronews
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