UPDATE - Ukraine claims it repelled Russian offensives in Donetsk, Kharkiv regions

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine on Friday claimed that its forces repelled Russian offensives in the direction of the cities of Kupiansk and Lyman in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, respectively.

“In the Kupiansk and Lyman directions, our defense forces stopped the enemy's offensive,” Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said in a statement on Telegram.

In an earlier statement late Thursday, Maliar claimed that Ukrainian forces continued to deter Russian advances in the directions of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka in the Donetsk region.

Maliar further claimed that fierce clashes were taking place in the direction of Lyman, particularly in the districts of Dibrova, Serebryansk, and Hryhorivka.

In southern Ukraine, Maliar claimed that Ukrainian forces are gradually moving forward with “partial success” and are continuing offensives around Melitopol and Berdiansk in the Zaporizhzhia region.

She claimed progress in some areas, inflicting “great losses” on the enemy.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed in a statement on Friday that "offensive actions" were carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the directions of South Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk, adding that it repelled multiple attacks.

Independent confirmation of the claims is difficult due to the ongoing war.