ISTANBUL

Ukraine said Tuesday that its forces have gained the initiative against Russian troops on the Kupiansk front in Kharkiv 

“The enemy offensive in the Kupiansk direction is currently unsuccessful. The fighting continues, but the initiative is already on our side,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Telegram.

Maliar said Ukrainian forces near the city of Bakhmut have made advances and that fighting on the northern flank continued during the day.

“The enemy is trying to regain lost positions. Our fighters have to deal with dense mines and intense enemy fire,” she added.

Maliar later commented on the situation on the southern frontline with Russia, saying offensive actions by Ukrainian forces continued on the Berdiansk and Melitopol fronts in the Zaporizhzhia region.

“In the directions of Mala Tokmachka-Novopokrovka and Velyka Novosilka-Urozhaine, our defenders were successful. They are taking hold at the reached boundaries,” she said.

Maliar said the aim of Russian forces in the area is to stop the advance of Ukrainian forces.

In an earlier statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said its forces in the direction of Kupiansk continued their offensive operations successfully, adding they made advances up to 2 kilometers (1.24 miles) along the front and up to 1.5 kilometers (0.93 miles) in depth.

Independent verification of Ukraine and Russia’s claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.