The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the village of Rivnopil in the Donetsk region

Ukrainian forces continue to advance in the east and south of Ukraine, liberating Ukrainian territory from Russian occupation.

According to Hanna Maliar, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Rivnopil in the Donetsk region during a new phase of counteroffensive operations in the east of Ukraine, which began in mid-June.

“Our forces in the east launched counteroffensive actions in the areas of Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Bakhmut, Bohdanivka, Yahidne, Klishchiivka, and Kurdiumivka at the end of last week. They have advanced approximately from 1 to 2 kilometers on each axis. Currently, our troops are consolidating their positions and continuing to destroy the enemy,” stated Hanna Maliar.

Meanwhile, Russian forces have been carrying out their offensive operations on the Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka axes, where heavy fighting is ongoing. Approximately 250 combat clashes took place in these areas over the past week. In total, the enemy shelled the positions of Ukrainian forces 6,457 times.

In addition, the Ukrainian defenders have continued to advance in the south of Ukraine.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine have also continued the counteroffensive operations on the Melitopol and Berdiansk axes. Over the week, the liberated territory has increased by 17 square kilometers. In total, since the beginning of Ukraine’s offensive actions, the liberated area in the south amounts to 130 square kilometers,” added the Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine.

On the Tavriia axis, the enemy shelled Ukrainian positions 3,861 times during the past week. “If we combine the number of enemy shellings in the east and south, it amounts to over 10,000 shellings per week. It’s almost around the clock and every minute,” emphasized Hanna Maliar.

Read more: Ukrainian defenders liberated 7 settlements from Russian occupation

According to Maliar, Russia’s casualties were eight times higher during the past week than Ukraine’s. In addition, Ukrainian forces destroyed 17 enemy anti-aircraft missile systems, 11 command posts, 7 ammunition depots, as well as hundreds of units of enemy equipment, including tanks, helicopters, artillery systems, and 48 out of 51 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 drones used by Russian troops.