Ukraine's counter-offensive proves that Russia has been losing ground in Ukraine. Ukrainian flag and Russian corpses confirm Kiev's advance in the south.
REUTERS: By Vitalii Hnidyi
Ukraine's counter-offensive. NESKUCHNE, Ukraine, June 13 (Reuters) - Ukraine's blue and yellow flag flew over a dilapidated grocery store and Russian soldiers died on the street in the village of Neskuchne, contacted by Reuters journalists on Tuesday at first independent confirmation of Ukraine's biggest advances in seven months against the Russian invasion.
Russia has not recognized any Ukrainian gains, and President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that, for now, he saw no need for a new mobilization of fighters to face the Ukrainian counteroffensive launched last week.
NESKUCHNE, Ukraine, June 13 (Reuters) - Ukraine's blue and yellow flag flew over a dilapidated grocery store and Russian soldiers died on the street in the village of Neskuchne, contacted by Reuters journalists on Tuesday at first independent confirmation of Ukraine's biggest advances in seven months against the Russian invasion.
Russia has not recognized any Ukrainian gains, and President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that, for now, he saw no need for a new mobilization of fighters to face the Ukrainian counteroffensive launched last week.
Ukrainian troops roamed the muddy streets in the back of a tank and a pickup truck. A warplane flew overhead, shooting flares.
Three days ago Russian forces were still here. We kicked them out of Neskuchne. Glory to Ukraine," said Artem, a member of a Ukrainian territorial defense unit, who did not give his last name. "These are Ukrainian lands.
The one- and two-story buildings of the village, which had a population of several hundred before the Russian invasion last year, were mostly damaged. The scene was silent, apart from the noise of artillery fire in the distance.
Reuters saw at least three dead Russian soldiers lying in the street, including one whose body was next to an abandoned Russian military vehicle. Artem said advancing Ukrainian troops watched from a drone as comrades initially tried to evacuate him, only to dump him where he was and flee.
It was the first independent confirmation of Ukraine's advance in the area, about 90km southwest of the city of Donetsk, one of several hubs where it is trying to break through Russian lines.
FIRST DAYS OF ASSAULT
Ukraine began its counterattack last week after holding out on the defensive for seven months of a huge Russian winter and spring campaign that yielded meager gains despite Europe's bloodiest ground combat since World War II.< /p>
So far, Ukraine's offensive is still in its early days, with tens of thousands of new troops and hundreds of Western armored vehicles yet to be committed to combat.
Russia, meanwhile, has had months to prepare several layers of defensive lines, meaning Ukraine's advance so far does not necessarily equate to a breakthrough ahead.
After a week of giving little information about its offensive, Ukraine said on Monday it had retaken seven settlements so far. Troops advanced up to 6.5 km (4 miles) and took over 90 square kilometers (35 square miles) of land along a 100 km long stretch of the southern front line, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said. .
Putin told Tuesday's televised meeting that Russia's campaign objectives had not fundamentally changed and said Ukrainian casualties were 10 times higher than Russia's.
Leaked US intelligence documents have estimated that Russia has suffered losses several times greater than those of Ukraine, with the worst casualties occurring in recent months.
Putin declined to say whether Moscow would launch a new offensive of its own, saying Russia's plans would depend on its military potential.
Russia says it has repelled repeated advances by Ukrainian forces since June 4.
Its Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that its forces had defended against Ukrainian attacks near the villages of Makarivka, Rivnopil and Prechystivka. Makarivka is located further south along the river from Neskuchne.
Moscow also released video footage of what it said were German-made Leopard tanks and American-made Bradley fighting vehicles captured in battle. Reuters could not immediately verify the location or time of the images.
Military analysts say the fighting so far is likely still mainly probing attacks by the Ukrainians who have not yet released most of their forces, while Russia's main defensive fortifications are still further behind.
MISSILE ATTACK
On Tuesday, a Russian missile strike killed at least 11 people at an apartment building and warehouses in Kryvyi Rih, the birthplace of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Residents wept outside the burning apartment block as smoke billowed after the early morning attack. Authorities said at least four people died at the scene and seven others in the warehouses. Twenty-eight were injured.
Survivors described two explosions. Olha Chernousova said she was thrown out of her bed by a violent blast wave. She escaped to the porch to wait for rescuers. "I thought I'd have to jump a tree.
Moscow denies intentionally targeting civilians, but has repeatedly attacked apartment buildings with long-range missiles, often at turning points in the war. He killed 25 people in an apartment block in the central city of Uman six weeks ago, at the start of an intensified campaign of drone and missile strikes in the run-up to Ukraine's counteroffensive.
Additional reporting by Max Hunder in Kryvyi Rih and Reuters Bureaux; Written by Peter Graff and Alex Richardson; Edited by Angus MacSwan and Mark Heinrich
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