Ukraine said on Sunday its troops had made territorial advances on three villages in its southeast, the first liberated settlements it has reported since launching a counteroffensive this past week.
Kyiv's forces posted unverified videos showing soldiers hoisting the Ukrainian flag at a bombed-out building in the village of Blahodatne in the Donetsk region and posing with their unit's flag in the adjacent village of Neskuchne.
"We're seeing the first results of the counteroffensive actions, localized results," Valeryi Shershen, a spokesperson for Ukraine's "Tavria" military sector, said on television.