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Defense Ministry: Ukraine liberates 7 settlements, regains 90 square kilometers over past week

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Defense Ministry: Ukraine liberates 7 settlements, regains 90 square kilometers over past week
Ukrainian servicemen drive a tank on a road near the frontline in Donetsk Oblast on June 5. (AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine's Armed Forces have liberated seven settlements over the past week as part of an ongoing counteroffensive, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported on June 12.

Those are Lobkove, Levadne, and Novodarivka in Zaporizhzhia Oblast and Donetsk Oblast's villages of Neskuchne, Storozheve, Makarivka, and Blahodatne.

The liberation of Lobkove and Levadne is reported for the first time.

The Ukrainian military has advanced 6.5 km and regained 90 square kilometers of land, according to Maliar.

Particularly in the Bakhmut area, Ukraine's forces have advanced 1.5 km on the left flank and 3.5 km on the right flank, having recaptured 16 square kilometers, the official said on Telegram.

According to the head of the U.K. Parliament's defense committee, cited by Sky News, Ukraine might launch a "major attack" against Russian forces in the eastern Donbas region "in the next few days."

On June 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the long-awaited counteroffensive against Russian forces was already ongoing in Ukraine.

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Dinara Khalilova

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Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.

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