Ukraine said Monday it had driven Russian forces out of an eighth village in its two-week-old counteroffensive, and a defense official vowed Kyiv's "biggest blow" lay ahead despite tough resistance from Moscow's troops.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Ukrainian forces had retaken Piatykhatky, a settlement on a heavily fortified part of the front line near the most direct route to the country's Azov Sea coast. The move was part of an advance by Kyiv of up to seven kilometers into Russian lines in two weeks, capturing 113 square kilometers of land.
"The enemy will not easily give up their positions, and we must prepare ourselves for a tough duel," Maliar said on the Telegram messaging app. The military "are moving as they should have been moving. And the biggest blow is yet to come."