Over the past week, the Ukrainian defense forces have liberated two settlements in the Kryvyi Rih and Kurakhove directions.

The relevant statement was made by the Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksii Hromov during a briefing at Media Center Ukraine-Ukrinform.

He stressed that despite maintaining the defense all over the contact line, in certain areas the Ukrainian servicemen conduct offensive operations and inflict damage to the enemy.

“Over the past week, the Defense Forces have liberated and gained control over Potiomkine in the Kryvyi Rih direction and Pavlivka in the Kurakhove direction,” Hromov told.

Hromov added that in the Donbas, Russian troops use a “scorched earth” policy, i.e. they destroy settlements with artillery to seize them more easily.

He added that at the same time the Defense Forces of Ukraine have something to respond with.

“Counterbattery activities are underway; enemy command centers, ammunition, arms and fuel depots get destroyed. Our strikes are not as massive as those launched by the enemy, but they are much more accurate. The enemy suffers significant losses,” Hromov noted.

As earlier reported, on June 30, Russian invasion forces have escaped the previously captured Ukrainian island of Zmiyinyi.

Subsequently, the Ukrainian servicemen demonstrated that they used a Ukrainian 2S22 Bohdana 155-mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer to strike on the Russian-occupied Zmiyinyi Island in the Black Sea.