Berlin, 5 June 2023 (dpa/MIA) - According to information from Kiev, the Ukrainian army is conducting several "offensive actions" in the region around the city of Bakhmut, which is occupied by Russian troops.

Bakhmut was the central arena of the current fighting, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said on her Telegram channel on Monday. Ukrainian forces continued to advance there along a broad front.

Malyar said that Ukrainian forces had taken some strategically important high points. The Russian armed forces were on the defensive, she asserted.

According to Malyar, there was also localized fighting in the south of the country.

There was no initial information from Russia.

A battle has been waged for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut for months, with heavy losses. Bakhmut originally had 70,000 inhabitants.

The Russian Wagner mercenary force took Bakhmut and recently announced its withdrawal, leaving the city entirely under the control of regular Moscow forces.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who describes the Russian military leadership as "incompetent," admitted at the weekend that the Ukrainians had again taken up positions in Bakhmut.

Photo: Internet