Ukrainian forces regain control of village, with hopes of further gains in south

As fierce fighting to regain control of the lost territories carries on, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said that the forces have taken over the control of a village in the south, as Kyiv's counteroffensive is intended to seek a breakthrough against Russian forces. 

Ukrainian forces asserted their positions against Russia in June after securing considerable Western-supplied weapons, building up assault battalions and attacking Moscow's positions.

However, despite advances, officials in Kyiv have acknowledged the slow progress with Moscow stating that the Ukrainian forces are running out of resources.

"Robotyne has been liberated. Our forces are advancing southeast of Robotyne and south of Mala Tokmachka," Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said on television.

Both settlements are in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, one of four that the Kremlin claimed to have annexed last year despite not having military control over any of them.

Ukraine's limited advances on the southern front have spurred a political debate in Western capitals over political and military support for Kyiv.

Compared to previous offensives in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions, Ukrainian forces are crashing into Russian defensive lines of trenches and minefields that are kilometres deep.

However, experts note that the capture of Robotyne is evidence that Ukrainian forces can puncture Russian lines as they move towards the Black Sea.

Russian push for regains

The US-based Institute for the Study of War said Russia had "committed a considerable amount of material, effort, and manpower to hold the series of defensive positions that Ukrainian forces are currently penetrating".

Apart from clawing back several hamlets in the south, Ukrainian forces have pressured the flanks of Bakhmut, a war-scarred eastern town captured by Russia in May.

Malyar said Monday that Ukrainian troops were advancing south of Bakhmut and that they had recaptured one square kilometre (around one-third of a square mile) there over the last week of fighting.

She also acknowledged a Russian push to take back territory in the northeast of Ukraine, describing fighting in the Kharkiv region as very intense over the past week.

Ukrainian officials have estimated that Russia has committed around 100,000 additional troops to the frontlines in the northeast to pressure defensive lines.

British intelligence services have said Russia could try to divert Ukrainian military resources by solidifying its positions in Kharkiv.