Ukraine says it has recaptured fourth village amid counteroffensive 

Ukrainian officials claimed the country’s forces have recaptured a fourth village in their counteroffensive against Russian troops.

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar posted on Telegram on Monday that Ukraine’s flag was flying over the Storozhove village again, adding that “all Ukrainian land” will be liberated. The post comes a day after Ukrainian officials said three other small villages in the eastern Donetsk region were recaptured.

Ukraine’s long-anticipated counteroffensive appeared to begin last week as the country began launching attacks in the eastern Donetsk region. Most of the fighting took place near the towns of Novodonetske and Velyka Novosilka in the southern Donetsk region.

The Associated Press noted these villages liberated Sunday — Blahodatne, Neskuchne and Makariv — are located in what is called the “Vremivka ledge,” which is where the front line of Russian-controlled area met with territory still held by Ukraine.

The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to confirm whether its forces have retreated from the villages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that “counteroffensive, defensive actions are taking place.”

“Appropriate counteroffensive and defensive actions are taking place in Ukraine. I will not say in detail at what stage they are. I believe we will certainly feel all this,” he added.

The counteroffensive comes as Ukraine is undergoing a humanitarian and environmental crisis after the Dnieper River dam collapsed last week, causing flooding that led to mass evacuations and at least 14 deaths. Officials in Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other for an attack on the dam.