Ukraine says fighting has “intensified” in the east of the country as Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Kyiv’s counteroffensive as a failure.
A top Ukrainian defence official said on Sunday that Russian forces and Ukrainian troops were clashing in at least three areas on the eastern front.
Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram that Russian forces have been attacking in the direction of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region for two successive days.
“We are on the defensive,” Maliar wrote. “There are fierce battles. The positions of both sides change dynamically several times a day.”
Maliar also said the two armies were pummelling one another around the ruined city of Bakhmut but that Ukrainian forces were “gradually moving forward” along its southern flank.
She said Kyiv’s troops were also fending off Russian attacks near Avdiivka and Marinka in the Donetsk region.
Article from www.aljazeera.com