On Monday, Ukraine announced that its forces had successfully regained control of an area measuring 37 square kilometers (14 square miles) from Russian forces during the previous week. This development follows Kyiv’s much-anticipated counteroffensive, which was initiated after accumulating stockpiles of Western arms and ammunition.
“Over the past week … the area liberated (in the east) was increased by nine square kilometers,” Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar said, adding that Ukrainian forces had wrested another 28 square kilometers in the south.

Ukrainian forces are coming up against heavily entrenched Russian defensive positions both along the southern and eastern fronts.

Malyar said Ukrainian troops were fighting “fierce” battles with Russian forces around the eastern flashpoint city of Bakhmut.

In the south, Ukrainian forces had “successes” along the front towards the Melitopol and Berdyansk sectors.

Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny expressed frustration in an interview published Friday at the slow deliveries of weaponry promised by the West.