Ukrainian forces are pressing ahead in their counteroffensive in the south of the country and elsewhere to recapture Russian-occupied territory.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Monday that over the past week its troops have advanced more than one kilometer toward Melitopol, one of the main cities of the southern region of Zaporizhzhia, and the port city of Berdyansk facing the Azov Sea.

It said the troops have advanced a total of 8.6 kilometers since the beginning of their counteroffensive.

The General Staff said the Ukrainian military has regained 169 square kilometers of land on the southern front since the beginning of the offensive. That's almost equivalent to the area of the Ukrainian city of Odesa.
It also said the military has retaken 24 square kilometers around the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Ukrainian deputy defense minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday that the country's forces had taken control of the heights around Bakhmut, putting the city within the range of their shells.

US think tank the Institute for the Study of War said on Monday that "it appears that Ukrainian operations in the Bakhmut area in recent days have been intended to slowly envelop Russian troops in Bakhmut and on its flanks."

The institute also said its calculations show Ukrainian forces had recaptured a total of approximately 253 square kilometers of territory in their counteroffensive.

The think tank added that, "In five weeks, Ukrainian forces have liberated nearly the same amount of territory that Russian forces captured in over six months."