Kyiv claims to recapture 14 square kilometers in the south and east

The Ukrainian army said on Monday it had recaptured 14 square kilometers of territory from Russian forces after the counteroffensive, military spokesman Andriy Kovalyov said.

“Last week, more than ten square kilometers of Ukrainian land were liberated in southern Ukraine,” Kovalev told Kyiv television, adding that four square kilometers “were liberated in the Bakhmut direction” in the east of the country.

Those figures, according to the same official, add up to 193 square kilometers of total territory reclaimed by Ukraine since the start of the counter-offensive in early June.

“Ukrainian troops entrenched themselves on the achieved lines, inflicting artillery damage on the identified enemy targets. The enemy (Russian forces) is resisting, moving units and using reserves. Tense battles are going on, ”said Kovalev, referring directly to Bakhmut.

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian counter-offensive is moving slowly against Russian troops “who have entrenched themselves behind powerful defensive lines.”

Last Friday, Kyiv received cluster bombs banned in many countries from the United States.

Ukraine is asking for even more artillery and supplies of F-16 fighter jets.

This latest Kiev assessment of the counteroffensive comes as Volodymyr Zelensky is expected in Vilnius, Lithuania, for a NATO summit that will consider Ukraine’s bid for membership in the Atlantic Alliance.