The Ministry of Defense: The Defense Forces are going on the offensive in some areas

As part of the defense operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are moving to offensive operations in some directions, the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defense Hanna Malyar informed.

According to her, in the area of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army is successfully moving on a wide front.

"We are continuing the defense that began on February 24, 2022. The defensive operation includes everything, including counteroffensive actions. Thatʼs why we are taking offensive actions in some directions," she noted.

Malyar emphasizes that the epicenter of hostilities remains the Bakhmut direction. "There, we are moving along a fairly wide front. We are successful. We occupy the dominant heights. The enemy is on the defensive, he wants to hold his position," the deputy minister stated.

According to her, in the south, the enemy is on the defensive — battles of local significance continue there.

• Russia launched a war against Ukraine in 2014, when it occupied Crimea and part of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine from the northern, eastern and southern directions. In April 2022, the Defense Forces of Ukraine expelled the occupiers from the northern regions of Ukraine, and in the fall they de-occupied part of the Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Kharkiv regions. Currently, fighting continues in the east and south of Ukraine.