Today, Monday, the Ukrainian army announced the recapture of more than 20 towns within 24 hours, from the Russian army.
It said in a statement that the army was able to "to expel the enemy from more than 20 towns," according to AFP.
The army confirmed in the first official assessment of their gains, it said that the army has recaptured about 500 square kilometers in the Kherson region in the south of the country, including the towns of Visokopelia, Belogirka, Sukhi, Stavok and Mirolubivka.
The army commander announced yesterday that his forces had recaptured more than 3,000 square kilometers from the Russian forces, since the start of the counterattack at the beginning of the month in eastern Ukraine.
While the Russians withdrew from many towns in the Donbas region, leaving behind equipment and ammunition, abandoned boxes of ammunition and military equipment were seen scattered in the areas they left, according to photos published by the Ukrainian army.
On the other hand, there was no official Russian reaction to the gains made by the Ukrainian forces, but a map of Kharkiv presented by the Russian Defense Ministry during its daily briefing yesterday, Sunday, showed a significant withdrawal of its army from this area.
It showed that the Russian army controls only a small part of the territory east of Kharkiv beyond the Oskol River, after it controlled much larger areas in that region on Saturday.
It is noteworthy that the control of several urban centers such as Kobyansk and Izyum in the vicinity of Kharkiv may constitute a major blow to Russia's ability to deliver supplies to its forces on the front line in eastern Ukraine, which will greatly reduce its control, after important progress achieved last spring.