Ukrainian Military Carried Out Retaliatory Attacks On Russia In East Front

JAKARTA - Ukrainian forces launched a retaliatory attack on Russian troops on the front or east front, where Kyiv reclaimed seven settlements.

"In fact, our troops are seizing the opportunity of the invaders (Russia) to launch a full offensive operation, which they have long planned and relied on," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian troops have reclaimed 160 square kilometers (62 square miles) since the start of operations. More than 170 square kilometers and nine other settlements have been "cleared from the invaders".

He did not specify when the operation began. Zelenskyy described fierce fighting in the Dobropillia region, the region that witnessed Russia's rapid progress in mid-August, and around downtown Pokrovsk.

Reuters was unable to verify the battlefield situation in the raging war since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The Donetsk region, which is only partially occupied by Russia but Moscow wants Kyiv to leave before any settlement of peace remains the location of the fiercest fighting.

On Thursday, a Russian-directed bomb attack killed five civilians in Kostitynivka, about 40 km from Dobropillia.

Russian troops have reached a distance of 8 km from the city, which is an important logistics hub for Ukrainian forces defending most of the front lines.