Kyiv: Despite facing fierce resistance from Russian forces, Kiev on Thursday reported progress in its counteroffensive on the eastern and southern fronts.
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog arrived in Zaporizhzia, which is home to Europe's largest nuclear plant and one of the current fronts, to evaluate risks to the site in the wake of the collapse of a significant dam.
His visit coincided with Kyiv's long-awaited push to drive Russian troops off its soil, which was supported by Western weapons and training.
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Russian positions are still being targeted by Ukrainian artillery near the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, as reported by AFP journalists. Last month, following the longest battle of the war, which resulted in thousands of deaths and left, Moscow declared victory in Bakhmut.
The enemy is mobilising more reinforcements and making every effort to halt the advance of Ukrainian forces, according to Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar of Ukraine.
Over the past ten days, Malyar reported an advance in the vicinity of Bakhmut of more than three kilometres (1.8 miles). According to Oleksiy Gromov of the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces, since the offensive's inception in early June, Ukrainian forces have reclaimed seven settlements and more than 100 square kilometres (under 40 square miles) of land.
According to Malyar, there is a "gradual but steady advance of the armed forces" in the south.
She referred to mined fields, explosive drones, and intense shelling as "at the same time, the enemy is putting up powerful resistance" on the southern front.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, claimed this week that his country had successfully repelled all Ukrainian assaults and that Ukraine had suffered almost "catastrophic" losses. The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located in the Zaporizhzhia region, where fighting has intensified.
Since Russian forces took control of it more than a year ago, security there has been a major concern, but the collapse of a nearby dam has raised fresh concerns. The Russian-controlled Kakhovka dam served as a reservoir for the cooling water for the plant until it was destroyed last week in an attack that Kyiv and Moscow each claimed responsibility for.
Rafael Grossi, the UN's nuclear chief, visited the plant on Thursday to evaluate any damage, a Russian official said. Initial plans called for Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to visit the location on Wednesday.
During a briefing this week in Kyiv, Grossi stated, "I want to make my own assessment.
"I want to go there, talk about the measures the management there is taking, and then, as I said, make a more concrete assessment of what kind of danger we have," the speaker said.
Grossi has warned of the possibility of a nuclear accident at the plant, where a permanent IAEA team is stationed, ever since the conflict began.
The Kakhovka dam catastrophe, which led to widespread evacuations, was described by the IAEA as complicating "an already precarious nuclear safety and security situation" at the plant.
Moscow and Kiev have each accused the other of shelling the plant. According to Ukraine, Russia carried out additional strikes overnight using 20 Iranian-made missiles and four missiles.
The remaining three missiles, according to the Ukrainian military, were fired at the city of Kryvyi Rig in the country's centre. President Volodymyr Zelensky's hometown had already been brutally attacked by Russian troops on Tuesday, leaving 12 dead.
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Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city's military administration, claimed that "three rockets hit two industrial enterprises that had nothing to do with the military." The Russian army claimed to have destroyed drone manufacturing facilities and stated that "all assigned targets have been hit."
Ukraine has increased drone attacks on areas under Russian control in recent weeks. The most recent incident saw Russian forces shoot down nine drones over Crimea, which Moscow has annexed, according to Sergei Aksyonov, the governor who was installed by Moscow on Thursday