Ukrainian forces launched a counter-attack in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv said Monday, with fighting reported near Kharkiv, the country’s second largest city.
Vadym Denisenko, a government adviser, said in an televised statement Monday that Ukrainian forces have begun “our counter-offensive”.
"It can no longer be stopped ... Thanks to this, we can go to the rear of the Russian group of forces," he said.
The announcement comes amid reports that Russia’s offensive in the southeastern Ukrainian region of Donbas have stalled.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that Russian forces have lost their moment in Donbas, adding that Ukraine could ultimately emerge from the war victorious.
Russia, which initially moved forces deep into Ukrainian territory, encircling Kyiv and striking as far west as Lviv, has since April concentrated its military efforts on the Donbas region, including the port city of Mariupol.
But Russia has suffered heavy losses during the war, Western intelligence indicates, with British military intelligence estimating that a third of the ground forces deployed at the time of the invasion on February 24th have been lost, with the Donbas campaign falling “significantly behind schedule”, Reuters reported.