On Monday, the Ukrainian military command indicated that its forces are engaged in fierce battles at intense combat hotspots on the front lines. The Ministry of Defense reported that its soldiers have liberated several villages from Russian occupation in the first phase of the counteroffensive.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine noted that the first day of the counteroffensive witnessed around 25 battles near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and to the south near Avdiivka and Marinka, all of which are located in the Donetsk region, as well as near Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region.
Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Malyar published a photo on Monday showing soldiers raising the Ukrainian flag, stating that it was taken in the village of Sturohiv in Donetsk, and thanked one of the army brigades for liberating the village.
On Sunday, Ukraine announced that its forces had made progress in three villages in Donetsk: Blahodatne, Neskuchne, and Makaryivka. The village of Sturohiv is situated between Blahodatne and Neskuchne.
Some prominent Russian military bloggers noted that while Ukrainian forces captured Blahodatne and Neskuchne, fighting for Makaryivka continued.
Both sides have claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the other in terms of personnel and equipment over the past week as the Ukrainian counteroffensive was still in the preparation stage. After a period of relative silence regarding the counteroffensive, the Ukrainian military announced daily successes on the battlefield. The General Staff stated on Monday, "Over the past week, the Russian invaders have suffered significant losses in the Bakhmut direction."
The governor of the Donetsk region in Ukraine reported that one civilian was killed and two others were injured by Russian fire in the Avdiivka area on Sunday.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov announced that Kyiv wishes to discuss the details of a "fighter jet coalition" with its allies during the upcoming meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group scheduled for June 15 in Brussels. The Ukrainian Military Media Center quoted Reznikov saying, "At this stage, we are talking about training our pilots, technicians, and engineers."
