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Neskuchny: The blue and yellow flag of Ukraine flew over a destroyed grocery store, and dead Russian soldiers lay on a village street. NeskochnyThe findings were found by Reuters journalists on Tuesday in the first independent confirmation of Ukraine’s biggest advance in seven months against a Russian invasion.
Russia has not recognized any of Ukraine’s gains, and President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that he does not currently see a need for a new mobilization of fighters to counter the Ukrainian counter-offensive that began last week.
“There is no such need today,” put it in In a televised meeting of Russian war correspondents and military bloggers when asked about another mobilization. But he added that it all depends on what Russia wants to achieve in what it calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Not a single inhabitant was found in Neskushin, one of a cluster of settlements on the Mokry Yali river that Ukraine says its forces have captured in a steady advance south into Russian-controlled territory since launching their operation last week.
Ukrainian troops rode through the muddy streets on the back of a tank and in a pickup truck. A warplane flew overhead and fired flares.
Artem, a member of an unnamed Ukrainian land defense unit, said: “Three days ago the Russian troops were still here. We chased them from Neskushyn. Glory to Ukraine.” “This is Ukrainian territory.”
The one- and two-story buildings in the village, which had a population of several hundred before Russia invaded last year, are almost all damaged. The scene was silent except for artillery fire in the distance.
Reuters saw at least three dead Russian soldiers lying in the street, including a soldier dumping his body in a fly explosion near an abandoned Russian military vehicle. Artem said advancing Ukrainian forces saw from a drone comrades who initially tried to evacuate him, but then threw him where he lay and fled.
It was the first independent confirmation of Ukraine’s advance in the area, about 90 kilometers southwest of the city of Donetsk, one of several hubs where it is trying to break through Russian lines.
The first days of the assault
Ukraine launched its counteroffensive last week after holding on to the defensive during seven months of a massive Russian winter and spring campaign that yielded slim gains despite Europe’s bloodiest ground battles since World War Two.
So far, the Ukrainian offensive is still in its early days, with tens of thousands of new troops and hundreds of Western armored vehicles yet to be committed to the fight.
For its part, Russia has had months to prepare several layers of defensive lines, which means that Ukraine’s advances so far do not necessarily amount to a breach in the front.
After a week offering little information about its offensive, Ukraine said on Monday it had recaptured seven settlements so far. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said the forces had advanced up to 6.5 kilometers and captured 90 square kilometers of land along a 100-kilometre stretch of the southern frontline.
Putin said in a televised meeting on Tuesday that the goals of the Russian campaign had not changed radically, and claimed that the loss of life in Ukraine was 10 times higher than the Russian one.
Leaked US intelligence documents estimated that Russia’s losses are several times greater than those of Ukraine, with the worst losses occurring in recent months.
Putin refused to say whether Moscow would launch a new offensive of its own, saying that Russia’s plans would depend on its military capabilities.
Russia says it has repelled repeated advances by Ukrainian forces since June 4.
Its defense ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had repulsed Ukrainian attacks near the villages of Makarivka, Rivnopil and Prechiestevka. Makarivka is located south along the river from Neskuchne.
Moscow also released video footage of what it said were German-made Leopard tanks and US-made Bradley fighting vehicles captured in the battle. Reuters could not immediately verify the location or time of the footage.
And military analysts say the fighting so far may still be mainly investigating attacks by Ukrainians who have not unleashed the bulk of their forces, while Russia’s main defensive fortifications are still far away.
missile strike
Elsewhere, on Tuesday, a Russian missile strike killed at least 11 people in an apartment building and warehouses in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Residents wailed outside the burning building and smoke billowed after the early morning attack. Officials said at least four people were killed there and seven more in the warehouses. Twenty-eight wounded.
Survivors described two explosions. Olha Chernousova said she was thrown from her bed by a violent blast wave. She ran to her balcony, waiting for rescuers. “I thought I was going to have to jump into a tree.”
Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians but has repeatedly bombed residential buildings with long-range missiles, often at perceived turning points in the war. Twenty-five people were killed in an apartment building in the central city of Uman six weeks ago, at the start of an intense campaign of drone and missile strikes in the run-up to the Ukrainian counter-offensive.



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