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It's been all over the media for weeks now that the Ukrainian military had started her counteroffensive operations in Russian held Ukraine. It's obvious that the counteroffensive operations have started yielding results as the Ukrainian military have hoisted the Ukrainian flag in the said recaptured villages.
Ukraine has said its troops recaptured three villages from Russian forces in its southeast, the first liberated settlements it reported since launching a counteroffensive.
Soldiers hoisted the Ukrainian flag at a bombed-out building in an unverified video published on Sunday by Ukraine’s 68th Jaeger Brigade, which identified the settlement as Blahodatne in the Donetsk region.
This news on its own will bring renewed hopes to the Ukrainian government and military just as the November recapture of some cities brought strength to the entire Ukrainian military. With more villages targeted by the Ukrainian troops in coming days as they advance to other parts of Donetsk region, the entire nation anticipates more good news of more recaptured regions in the nearest future.
“We’re seeing the first results of the counteroffensive actions, localised results,” Valeriy Shershen, spokesperson for Ukraine’s “Tavria” military sector, said on television.
Ukraine forces also retook Makarivka, the next village to the south, advancing between 300 and 1,500 metres (985-4,920 feet) along two directions on the southern front, according to a statement from Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar.
A Ukrainian territorial defence unit also posted unverified footage on Telegram of its soldiers holding up their flag in Neskuchne, the village closest to Ukrainian positions in the area.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy have praised the troops for their efforts in taking back these villages but didn't relate the areas in which they're currently fighting in. This is very strategic in battles such as this one to avoid enemy attacks and risking the lives of the troops who are making significant efforts to counterattack the Russian military.
In Blahodatne, on the edge of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions, Myroslav Semeniuk, a spokesman for the Jaeger Brigade, told The Associated Press that an assault team captured six Russian troops after entering several buildings where some 60 soldiers were holed up.
References:
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/11/ukraine-hails-first-territory-recaptured-in-counteroffensive
- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/ukrainian-forces-say-they-have-recaptured-a-donetsk-village-as-russia-holds-other-lines
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65873831.amp
- https://www.tvpworld.com/70489658/kyiv-says-gains-made-following-first-day-of-counteroffensive
- https://www.rferl.org/amp/ukraine-heavy-fighting-russia-donbas-counteroffensive/32454060.html