Ukraine military reports progress in south

Ukrainian military officials said on Saturday that Kyiv's forces had made progress in the south, capturing unspecified territories and claiming partial success near the key village of Robotyne.

"Tavria direction," General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian forces in the south, wrote on Telegram, referring to the southern front. "There are liberated territories. The defence forces are working."

He did not specify where or when the advances were made. Separately, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said they had "partial success in the Robotyne area of the Zaporizhzhia region." Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield report.

The general staff said children were among dead or wounded civilians following a day in which Russians launched six rockets and 36 air strikes and fired 32 rocket salvo fire systems at populated areas and Ukrainian troop positions.

It said 33 combat clashes had taken place and noted that Ukraine's defence forces continued an offensive operation in Melitopol and Berdyansk directions. 

(Reuters)