Forces push back Russian advances

Ukrainian forces have pushed back some of the advances Russia made over the summer, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, calling the operation an “important success” after months of battlefield setbacks.

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Mr Zelensky said his troops had reclaimed 160 square kilometres of land near the eastern coal mining town of Dobropillia, where Russia pierced Ukraine’s defences in August.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, expressed mounting frustration at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for not halting the invasion.

Russia, which has been chipping away at Ukrainian territory for months, did not immediately comment on Ukraine’s claims but announced Thursday that more than 700,000 of its soldiers were fighting on the front line.

Diplomatic efforts to end the three-and-a-half year war have fallen apart in recent months, with Russia last week announcing peace talks were on “pause” and Mr Zelensky warning Russia still wanted to occupy “all of Ukraine’.

Following a meeting with troops in the eastern Donetsk region on Thursday, Mr Zelensky said his army was “achieving results” in an ongoing counteroffensive there.

“Since the start of the operation, our warriors have already liberated 160km,” he said in a video address.