Ukraine says advanced nearly 2 km along southern front this week
Kyiv said on Friday its troops had advanced nearly two kilometers along the southern front over the past week as Ukraine pushes ahead with its counteroffensive, AFP reports.
Mykola Urshalovych, a senior representative of the National Guard, told reporters that the force's 15th Karadag brigade and regular troops had moved towards the occupied southern city of Melitopol during the ongoing offensive.
The soldiers, “supported by tanks, have advanced 1,700 meters (1.1 miles) to the south and southeast” over the past seven days, he said.
Ukrainian troops are advancing despite “dense” minefields and shelling, he added during the briefing.
Urshalovych said that in the Berdyansk sector National Guard troops continued to maintain their positions “under constant enemy fire.”
He also said the units of the National Guard were preparing to expand an offensive in the Avdiivka sector in eastern Ukraine.
Last month, Ukraine launched a highly anticipated counteroffensive after stockpiling Western weapons and building up its offensive forces.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that the slow delivery of promised arms was delaying Kyiv’s counteroffensive, and called on the United States and other allies to provide long-range weapons and artillery.
