Russia and Ukraine are both claiming to have inflicted heavy losses on each other as Ukraine steps up its counteroffensive to retake its territory.

Russia's defense ministry said on Wednesday that its troops have been fighting off Ukrainian forces. It said about 7,500 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded on the frontlines since June 4.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the enemy has been unsuccessful, and Ukraine's troop losses were 10 times greater than Russia's.

Ukraine has lashed back. Deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar wrote in a social media post on Wednesday that the Russians have fabricated the information to discourage Ukrainian troops.

She said Ukrainian forces have been making steady advances.

Maliar said Russian casualties were about nine times the Ukrainian figure around Bakhmut in Donetsk region and about five times higher on the frontlines of Zaporizhzhia region.

The deputy minister also criticized the Russian side, referring to the collapse of the Kakhovka dam. She said Russian troops took away Ukrainian passports, birth certificates and other papers from residents evacuating flooded areas occupied by Russia.

She also condemned Russia for blocking the aid activities of volunteers in those areas.