Ukraine counter-offensive: Kyiv says it has liberated villages in Donetsk region

Ukraine says it has liberated 3 villages successful the south-east of the country, and that they are the archetypal settlements recaptured since its much-anticipated counter-offensive began.

Footage connected societal media showed Ukrainian troops celebrating successful the neighbouring settlements of Blahodatne and Neskuchne successful the Donetsk region.

Kyiv's lawman defence curate said adjacent Makarivka was besides taken.

On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the violative had begun.

These 3 settlements would beryllium the archetypal liberated since his comments, but not the archetypal that Ukraine has recaptured since Monday, erstwhile pockets of its forces began to beforehand successful the country's south.

Moscow has yet to corroborate the autumn of immoderate of the villages, alternatively speaking of repelling Ukrainian assaults successful the region.

Elsewhere, Ukraine says Russia has blown up different dam successful the Zaporizhzhia region, pursuing the demolition of the large Nova Kakhovka connected Monday, which caused wide flooding.

Ukraine says the dam was blown up by Russian forces, who person controlled it since February 2022.

Valeriy Shershen, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military, said Moscow's forces had chosen to stroke up a 2nd dam adjacent the colony of Novodarivka, which "led to the flooding connected some banks of the Mokri Yaly river".

Mr Shershen said Russia was deliberately blowing up dams successful the portion to halt Ukraine's beforehand towards occupied areas.

Russia has denied it blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam and has blamed Ukraine instead.

In footage shared by pro-Ukrainian accounts connected societal media, troops could beryllium seen raising the Ukrainian emblem extracurricular a burned retired gathering successful Blahodatne.

And the authorities borderline defender published videos showing Kyiv's forces announcing that "Neskuchne of the Donetsk portion is nether the Ukrainian emblem again", earlier shouting the present modular conflict outcry of "Glory to Ukraine".

Meanwhile, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar claimed successful a Telegram video that Ukraine's forces had besides taken the colony of Makarivka.

An service spokesperson said the gains were the archetypal localised victories of the counter-offensive.

While the seizure of the 3 villages people the biggest advances of caller days, the settlements are comparatively small. Blahodatne had a pre-war colonisation of conscionable 1,000 residents.

The village, which has been the centre of aggravated warring successful caller days, sits connected the roadworthy towards the metropolis of Mariupol, and immoderate analysts person suggested that Ukraine could question to recapture the larboard metropolis successful the coming months.

Others person speculated that Kyiv wants to interruption the onshore span betwixt occupied Crimea and Donetsk, isolating Russian troops connected the peninsula.

Further east, Ukrainian troops are besides said to person precocious adjacent the ruined metropolis of Bakhmut, the country of a agelong and bloody conflict betwixt Ukrainian forces and Russian troops.

Senior officials successful Kyiv person refused to remark connected the specifics of the advance.

Ukraine's enigmatic caput of quality Kyrylo Budanov released a video connected Sunday repeating the catchphrase "plans emotion silence", which has symbolised the secrecy down the counteroffensive.

The grade of Ukraine's operations stay unclear, but the US-based deliberation vessel the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said connected Saturday that Kyiv's forces were attacking successful astatine slightest 4 front-line areas.

Ukraine has suffered immoderate setbacks erstwhile probing Russian fortifications. A radical of Ukrainian soldiers told the AFP quality bureau that they had mislaid respective caller American-made Bradley warring vehicles successful an onslaught successful the southeast of Zaporizhzhia state connected Thursday.

Six of the 9 vehicles were wrecked, they said, adding that they feared idiosyncratic had leaked accusation connected their plans.

Analysts person highlighted the difficulties Ukraine faces successful trying to pierce lines that Russia has been fortifying for months.

But successful different areas Kyiv's troops are said to person breached the beforehand lines successful mechanised attacks implicit the weekend, with German Leopard-2 tanks said to person been deployed.

Meanwhile successful Russia's Belgorod region, bordering Ukraine, obstruction postulation was suspended aft a freight bid derailed connected Saturday night. Belgorod's borderline areas person been deed by drones, shelling and cross-border raids successful the past weeks.

Further north, the politician of the Kaluga region, Vladislav Shapsha, said determination had been 2 drone crashes - 1 adjacent the colony of Strelkovk and the different successful a forest.

The BBC has not independently verified the incidents.