Russian advances repelled by Ukraine, Zelensky declares
In a significant development, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) of land near the eastern coal mining town of Dobropillia, marking a setback for Russian forces who have been occupying around a fifth of Ukraine since the summer.
This offensive operation, which began in the second half of 2024, has been marked by Ukrainian counterattacks and coordinated strikes such as the major "Spinnennetz" drone attack on Russian military targets.
Following a meeting with troops in the eastern Donetsk region, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that his army was "achieving results" in the ongoing counteroffensive. He also warned that Russia still wants to occupy "all of Ukraine."
The three-and-a-half year war has taken a heavy toll, with tens of thousands of people - including civilians - killed since Russia invaded. Towns and cities across the east and south of Ukraine have been left in ruins.
Russia announced that more than 700,000 of its soldiers are fighting on the front line, but President Donald Trump has expressed mounting frustration at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for not halting the invasion. Trump reportedly said Putin has 'let me down.'
Trump had promised to end the war quickly after taking office in January, but has failed to extract concessions from the Kremlin. Diplomatic efforts to end the war have fallen apart in recent months, with Moscow claiming that European countries are frustrating the peace process. Kyiv and its European allies, however, accuse Putin of deliberately stalling to buy time and seize more Ukrainian territory.
In a tragic incident earlier Thursday, a Russian air strike on the Donetsk region town of Kostiantynivka killed five people, Ukrainian police said.
In a positive development, Kyiv has been attempting long-range strikes on Russia's vital oil sector. The latest attack on Thursday morning triggered a fire at a refinery in the central Bashkortostan region.
Zelensky stated that Russia has suffered thousands of losses in the conflict, but has not yet formally taken the reclaimed territory.
The war in Ukraine, the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II, has forced millions of people to flee their homes. Russia claims five Ukrainian regions as its own, including Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
US President Donald Trump has expressed disappointment in Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin's apparent refusal to accept a peace deal. The peace talks were on "pause" last week, according to Russia.
The ongoing conflict continues to pose a significant challenge to global peace and stability, and efforts to resolve it remain crucial.
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