Ukrainian forces have recaptured several villages along the Dnipro River, according to a regional spokesman posted by Russia. The town of Dudchany, some 30 kilometers south of where the front stood before, has been recaptured by Ukrainian forces. This is the biggest breakthrough in the south since the war began in February, according to the report Sky News.

In the east, Ukrainian forces have also expanded their offensive, recapturing territory in an area annexed by Russia last Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian army had taken over several cities in various regions, but without elaborating.

The advance came after Ukrainian forces recaptured the town of Lyman in Donetsk over the weekend, which is considered significant, as it could pave the way for further Ukrainian advances to the east. During the Russian occupation, Lyman was an important center for logistics and transportation. Lyman has been under Russian control since May. The retaking of Lyman comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin annexed four regions in Ukraine where a referendum had been held last week under the auspices of Russian authorities; Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya.

Russia no longer has full control over any of the four territories it annexed on Friday. This is the situation after Ukrainian troops advanced several kilometers in the Kherson province to the south.

– With tank units leading in numbers towards Zolota Balka and Oleksandrivka, the enemy managed to penetrate deep through our defenses, spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov said about the situation in Kherson on Monday. He pointed to two towns in Kherson.

[ Eks-CIA-sjef: – USA vil sikte på enhver russisk styrke hvis Putin bruker atomvåpen ]

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