Zelensky sees progress of his army in the south and movements in eastern Ukraine

(Patria) - President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian troops conducting a counteroffensive against Russian occupation forces advanced on the southern front last week, while there was movement near Bakhmut in the east, Reuters reports.

Zelensky's latest comments on the state of the three-month counteroffensive appear to have confirmed assessments by other officials of gains, however modest, in the east and south.

"In the past seven days, we have advanced in the (southern) Tavria sector," Zelensky said in his nightly video address.

"There is movement in the Bakhmut sector. Yes, there is movement," he added.

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces are holding on other fronts in the east, Avdiivka and Maryinka near the hotspots of the main Russian attacks, and Lyman and Kupiansk, which are also subject to Russian attempts to advance further north.

Near Avdiivka, the head of the local military administration said Ukrainian troops took advantage of Russian forces focusing on one sector, capturing part of the village of Opytne south of the city.

"In my opinion, this is very significant," Vitaliy Barabash told national television. "To be honest, the enemy somewhat overlooked this southern direction," he added.
Barabash called this advance a "thunderous assault operation" and said fighting was ongoing in the settlement.

Avdiivka, the site of a large coke plant, has been under almost constant Russian attack for several months. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported successes near Bakhmut. In its evening report, the General Staff reported "partial success as a result of assault operations" near Klishchiivka, a village on the heights south of Bakhmut, which is considered key to recapturing the city.

The report also highlighted success near Robotyne, a settlement that Ukraine captured at the end of last month, as part of troops' efforts to reach the Sea of Azov.

Zelensky and other officials have said the counteroffensive takes time, and have dismissed criticism in Western media that it is proceeding too slowly due to tactical errors.

In an interview with The Economist published on Sunday, Zelensky said steady progress is essential for maintaining morale. "Now we have movement. It is important."

He suggested that a major breakthrough could lie ahead. "If we push them from the south, they will run," he said.