Kyiv [Ukraine], June 20: Ukraine said it had driven Russian forces out of an eighth village in its two-week-old counteroffensive and a defence official vowed Kyiv's "biggest blow" lay ahead despite tough resistance from Moscow's troops.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had retaken Piatykhatky, a settlement on a heavily fortified part of the front line near the most direct route to the country's Azov Sea coast.
This was part of an advance by Kyiv of up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square km (44 square miles) of land.
"The enemy will not easily give up their positions, and we must prepare ourselves for a tough duel," Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app. The military "are moving as they should have been moving. And the biggest blow is yet to come."
She said the fiercest fighting was in the east and south of Ukraine. Separately, she said Ukraine's military was preventing a Russian advance in the east where it concentrated its units, including air assault troops.
President VolodymyrZelenskiy said in his nightly video address that Kyiv's military was moving forward in some sectors and defending against intensified attacks in others. But the net outcome was favourable for Ukraine, he said.
"We have no lost positions, only liberated ones. And they have only losses," he said.
Two slick videos released on Telegram by the Ukrainian armed forces showed what they said were attacks and advances by their forces in recapturing the village of Piatykhatky, including several strikes on Russian positions and a convoy. The video shows thick smoke rising from the area. Columns of Ukrainian armoured vehicles are seen advancing down a country road.
The video concluded with soldiers of the 128th separate assault brigade standing in front of a colonnaded building with Ukrainian flags and saying they have liberated the village.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation