Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky on Sunday said his troops are seeing “positive results in several directions” amid fighting in several regions across the eastern part of the country.
In a national address, Zelensky said Ukrainian troops were making gains in the regions of Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia, all of which have Russian-occupied areas.
“We have positive results in several directions,” Zelensky said. “No matter what happens this week in Russia, no matter what steps the terrorist state plans — political or military — the tasks of our state, the tasks of Ukraine, cannot change: We are fighting for life and freedom for all Ukrainians.”
Ukraine launched a massive counteroffensive this month, taking Russia by surprise and pushing their forces back in the northeast.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian troops secured key bridges around the Oskil River in Kharkiv, according to the British Defence Ministry.
Further south in Donetsk, Ukrainian troops are fighting to secure a Russian-controlled town near the Seversky Donets river.
“The battlefield situation remains complex, but Ukraine is now putting pressure on territory Russia considers essential to its war aims,” the Defence Ministry assessed.
Ukrainian forces are likely to make significant gains into both the Kharkiv and Luhansk regions, according to an Institute for the Study of War analysis.
Following Ukraine’s gain earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a partial mobilization to draw up about 300,000 reservists to fight in Ukraine.
The move drew significant backlash in Russia, including widespread protests and criticism from top lawmakers.
Zelensky on Sunday slammed Putin’s partial mobilization order as “criminal” and another reason to swiftly end a “war that one man wants.”
“Criminal mobilization is used by Russia not only to prolong the suffering of people in Ukraine and to further destabilize the world, but also to physically exterminate men,” the Ukrainian leader said.