Even Later, President Zelensky Admits Ukraine's Military Continues To Advance And Take Initiatives In The Southern Region

JAKARTA - Ukrainian troops resumed their campaign to retake Russian-controlled areas in the southeast on Sunday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying in a televised comment his country's troops had taken the initiative.

Equipped with increasingly sophisticated Western weapons after more than 500 days of war, Ukraine has launched a counter-attack that has so far focused on seizing a group of villages in the southwest. Its troops have also tried to retake areas around Bakhmut.

Ukraine's deputy defense minister, Hanna Malar, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that fierce fighting took place in two areas in the southeast.

"We are consolidating our acquisition in those areas," he wrote.

He said Russian forces were defending Bakhmut, while Ukrainian forces had recorded "certain progress" on the southern side of the city.

There has been no change in position to the north of Bakhmut, and Ukrainian troops remain involved in the fierce battle west of Bakhmut and near Lyman, further north in the Donetsk region.

Meanwhile, President Zelensky in an interview with US television network ABC admitted that his forces' progress was slower than he and his generals expected. But he called Ukrainian forces taking the initiative.

"All of us, we want to do it faster because every day means a new loss to Ukraine. We are moving forward. We are not trapped," he said, noting the military had overcome "some stagnation" in previous months.

"We all want to see this retaliatory attack completed in a shorter time. But the reality is so. Today, the initiative is on our side," he said.

It is known, attention in recent days has focused on Klishchiivka Village, which is located on the highlands south of Bakhmut.

Russian reports say fierce fighting broke out in areas outside the eastern city of Bakhmut, which was seized by Russian mercenaries, Wagner, in May after months of fighting.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov wrote on Telegram that his "Akhmat" unit was "in the difficult Bakhmut sector". He uploaded a video of a commander aboard an armored vehicle near Klishchiivka.

Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had pushed back Ukraine's progress near Bakhmut, with a difficult battle "not only because of the intensity of fire and fighting every day, but also because of the topography. The contact line stretches between the two hills."

Meanwhile, Ukraine's military analyst, Denys Popochych, said Ukrainian forces had taken "an important position near Klishchiivka.

"This will allow artillery control over Klishchiivka itself and parts of Bakhmut as well as supply routes," he told Radio NV Ukraine.

"Just like Wagner surrounded the city, we will do it too," he concluded.