Ukraine Army Successfully Repels Russian Soldiers, Forcing Them To 'Retreat Chaotically'

Ukraine’s armed forces have successfully repelled several Russian advances in the Kharkiv region, forcing them to retreat from their positions again, authorities said.

In a Facebook post published Monday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF) said the country’s soldiers have forced Russian troops who attempted to dislodge Ukrainian presence in the Dementiivka district to retreat. In addition, Russian soldiers suffered massive losses while trying to advance in the direction of Spirne-Ivano-Daryivka, leading them to “retreat chaotically.”

"When trying to advance in the direction of Spirne - Ivano-Daryivka, the enemy suffered losses from the dagger fire of our defenders and retreated chaotically," the UAF General Staff wrote in the post.

In Krasnopilla, Dovhenke, Mazanivka and Ivanivka, Ukrainian troops inflicted heavy losses on Russian units attempting to improve their tactical position, forcing them to end their reconnaissance mission and flee the battlefield.

Ukrainian forces have been mounting a solid defense against Russian advances over the past week. Last week, officials for the UAF General Staff said they successfully prevented the Russian army from advancing toward Sosnivka, Bakhmut and Bojorodichne.

The UAF General Staff’s latest report comes after Ukraine’s military claimed it destroyed a Russian ammunition depot in the southern city of Nova Kakhovka using HIMARS multiple rocket launchers supplied by the United States.

Russian officials said the artillery strike killed seven people and left up to 80 people injured. They also claimed that the Ukrainian military had instead targeted homes and warehouses.

The International Business Times could not independently verify the claims. However, satellite imaging published by Planet Labs showed a massive crater at the site of a building, which Ukrainians say was being used by Russians as an ammunition depot. A number of buildings surrounding the target were also either destroyed or significantly damaged.

Images from NASA’s Firms global fire tracking system also showed a number of secondary blazes in buildings around the initial blast.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky championed the successes of U.S.-supplied “modern artillery,” adding that it is helping his country’s army push back against Russian advances.

“The occupiers have already felt very well what modern artillery is, and they will not have a safe rear anywhere on our land, which they occupied,” Zelensky said. “They felt that the operations of our scouts to protect their Motherland are orders of magnitude stronger than any of their 'special operations.'”

Ukraine has been using the HIMAR systems and other weapons provided by the West to target Russian facilities located inside Moscow-controlled territory over the past few weeks.