Ukraine announced on Monday that its forces have advanced over several square kilometers of territory surrounding the eastern city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces took control of in May.

Kiev launched a counteroffensive last month, utilizing Western weapons that bolstered its offensive capabilities.

According to Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar, the recent improvement in the operational position and front-line alignment in the Bakhmut direction has resulted in the advancement over approximately seven square kilometers (2.5 square miles) of territory. Ukraine has lately acknowledged the challenging nature of the battles and has called upon the United States and its allies to provide long-range weapons and artillery support.

Additionally, Malyar noted that Russian forces have been actively advancing in the Kupyansk area of the Kharkov region since the previous week.

This comes shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin positively assessed the progress of the war in Ukraine, saying that Russian forces are thwarting all Ukrainian attempts to break through the Russian defenses. 

"Our troops are behaving heroically. Unexpectedly for the enemy in some areas and go on the offensive themselves, taking the most favorable positions, heights, etc," Putin said. 

"All attempts by the enemy to break through our defenses — which has been the goal, including the use of strategic reserves — they have not been successful during the entire offensive. The enemy has no success," he added. 

Putin's assessment of the Ukrainian counteroffensive was echoed by Ukrainian officials. 

On Friday, Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, conceded that battles were difficult for the Ukrainian forces, and that the progress of the counteroffensive was slow. 

On Friday, Kiev said its troops had only advanced 2 kilometers along the southern border over the past week. 

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In the same interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has not yet used cluster munitions, adding that if such weaponry is used against Russian forces, Moscow reserves the right to respond in kind.

"Until now, we have not done this, we have not used it, and we did not have such a need, despite the known shortage of ammunition by us as well in a certain period of time, but we did not do this. But, of course, if they are used against us, we reserve the right to mirror actions," Putin said.

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