Ukraine says its soldiers have taken back control of the devastated southeastern village of Rivnopil, the latest gain since it began a counteroffensive against Russian forces.
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The village appeared to be the ninth recaptured by Ukraine this month although a military representative said Rivnopil was deserted and heavily damaged.
"(Ukrainian) Defence forces have brought Rivnopil back under our control," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
She did not say when Ukrainian troops entered Rivnopil, which lies just west of a cluster of villages recaptured in offensive operations that Maliar said had liberated 130 square km in the south.
A Ukrainian soldier said in an unverified 13-second video posted by Ukraine's military that the village was retaken on Sunday.
The video showed him and other soldiers in front of a devastated building with a Ukrainian flag flying from a post.
Using a derogatory term for Russian soldiers, he said: "The orcs are fleeing, we are moving ahead."
Valeryi Shershen, spokesman for the Tavria, or southern, military sector, told Ukrainian television there were no civilians in the village and that it had been almost totally destroyed.
It had also been mined on all sides, he said.
Shershen said the Tavria group had advanced by 1.5km in the direction of the city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region.
"There are already liberated territories and our advance continues," Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces on the Tavria front, said.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, still holds swathes of territory in the east and south.
It did not immediately comment on events in Rivnopil, and Reuters was unable to verify the situation on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, footage posted online on Monday showed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy handing out awards to troops and posing for selfies with soldiers during a visit to the eastern region of Donetsk.
The president's office did not say when Zelenskiy made the visit but that he had met units of the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, including soldiers who have fought Russian troops in the Bakhmut sector, where battles have been intense.
The first of two videos posted by Zelenskiy and his office showed the president handing out awards at an undisclosed indoor location and poring over maps with Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces.
"I have the honour to be here today, talk to the commander and first of all thank you, thank you for protecting our country, sovereignty, our families, children, Ukraine," Zelenskiy said.
"Everyone in the country understands, so you know, those who are not on the frontline, everyone understands perfectly that you are doing the most difficult work today and everyone knows that eastern direction is very difficult."
A second video clip showed Zelenskiy at a service station.
Dressed in his trademark military khaki T-shirt, he stood alongside troops in a queue at a counter and then posed for photos with the soldiers and women working there.
"The roads of Donetsk region, petrol station, communication with our warriors. Thank you for everything you do for Ukraine! Thank you for protection! I wish you all good health and good luck in battle!" Zelenskiy wrote under the video.
Ukraine says it has been making advances this month since launching a counteroffensive.
Australian Associated Press
