Ukraine Claims Recapture of Eight Villages from Russia in Major Offensive.

Ukraine claims to have recaptured eight villages from Russian forces in its two-week-old counteroffensive, including Piatykhatky, a settlement on a heavily fortified part of the front line near the most direct route to the country's Azov Sea coast. The advance by Kyiv of up to seven km (4.3 miles) into Russian lines in two weeks has captured 113 square km (44 square miles) of land. The fiercest fighting is in the east and south of Ukraine, and the military is preparing for a tough duel. Both sides appear to have taken heavy losses in recent fighting, and both say the other side's are greater.