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Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia Ukraine in maps: Tracking the war with Russia
(8 days later)
Ukraine's long-awaited counter-offensive to retake territory from Russia's occupying forces is continuing and Russia has accused it of carrying out further drone attacks on Moscow. Ukraine's long-awaited counter-offensive to retake territory from Russia's occupying forces is continuing.
Here are the latest developments:Here are the latest developments:
Ukraine's counter-offensive is continuing in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions, with continued slow advances around the city of Bakhmut Ukraine's counter-offensive is continuing with advances around the city of Bakhmut, as well as slow progress in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions
Russia has continued missile and drone attacks on Ukraine, with five people killed in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Thursday Russia missile and drone attacks again targeted Kyiv, as a Nato summit in Lithuania discussed the West's support for Ukraine
Flights had to be diverted from Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Tuesday, with Russia blaming Ukrainian drone attacks on the city The US decision to supply Ukraine with cluster bombs has sparked controversy among Western allies
Fighting continues around Bakhmut Bakhmut fighting continues
Ukraine has continued its counter-offensive operations and says its forces are making gains. Ukraine has continued its counter-offensive operations and says it has taken control of the "main commanding heights" around the eastern city of Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces had conducted offensive operations south and north of what is left of the eastern city of Bakhmut - most of which has been under Russian control. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Monday this was allowing its forces to keep the entrances and exits of the city and the movement of Russian forces around it "under fire control".
According to an assessment by the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrainian forces have advanced north west of Bakhmut, near the villages of Berkhivka and Yahidne, and south west of Bakhmut. The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says Ukrainian officials have recently signalled that Ukraine plans to trap Russian forces within the city, and adds it appears that recent Ukrainian operations in the area "have been intended to slowly envelop Russian troops in Bakhmut and on its flanks".
The UK Ministry of Defence says Russia's defences around the city are "now largely formed around airborne regiments normally stationed in western Russia, who normally act as an elite rapid reaction force in case of tensions with Nato". Most of what is left of the eastern city of Bakhmut - which has endured some of the heaviest fighting of the war - has been under Russian control for several months.
The MoD has also noted that Russia has prioritised slowing down the overall counter-offensive - mainly with the extensive use of anti-tank mines - and while it had had some success with that approach its forces "continue to suffer from key weaknesses, especially overstretched units and a shortage of artillery munitions". Mercenaries from the Wagner group were heavily involved in that campaign but the US military now assesses the group is no longer "participating in any significant capacity in support of combat operations in Ukraine" although most Wagner fighters are believed to still be in areas of Russian-occupied Ukraine.
On 5 July, Ukraine's Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff General Oleksii Hromov said Ukrainian forces had advanced 7.5km into Russian-controlled territory in the western Zaporizhzhia region and along the administrative border between the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. It follows the Wagner group's aborted mutiny on 23 to 24 June that challenged Russia's President Vladimir Putin's authority - and on Friday (14 July) Mr Putin said the group's leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin had rejected an offer for his fighters to serve as a unit in Russia's army.
He said Ukrainian forces had retaken nine settlements and 160 square kilometres of territory since the start of the counter-offensive on 4 June. Ukraine and Russia gains compared
Deadly missile strike in Lviv Elsewhere on the front line, Ukraine has continued operations in several areas in the eastern Donetsk and south-eastern Zaporizhzhia regions.
Russia has continued to target Ukrainian cities this week with missile and drone strikes, including an attack in the west Ukrainian city of Lviv which left five dead on Thursday. Using its own data, the ISW has calculated that Ukrainian forces have recaptured about 253 square kilometres of territory since the start of the counter-offensive on 4 June which, it says, is about the same amount of territory as Russian forces have captured in the past six months.
Another 34 people were injured in what the mayor of Lviv described as "one of the biggest attacks" on the city's civilian infrastructure. Missile strikes continue
Ukraine's air force has accused Russia of launching the missiles from the Black Sea and said "seven out of 10 Kalibr cruise missiles" were shot down, but that one rocket "changed course" to the west and hit Lviv. Russia has continued to target Ukrainian cities this week with missile and drone strikes, including attacks for three nights in a row on the capital Kyiv.
The BBC has been unable to confirm these claims. Ukraine's air force said it had shot down about 20 Iran-made drones over the city's airspace on Thursday, hours after a Nato summit in Lithuania ended.
Russia has been carrying out deadly missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities for several months, often hitting civilian targets and causing widespread blackouts. The two-day summit in Vilnius saw Western support for Ukraine at the top of the agenda.
The death toll from one of its most deadly recent attacks - an attack on a pizza restaurant in Kramatorsk, an eastern city in the Donetsk region on 27 June - rose to 13 after award-winning Ukrainian writer Victoria Amelina died from her injuries in the days after the attack. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky used his attendance to push for Ukrainian membership of the alliance, but was told this would only be possible "when allies agree and conditions are met".
Drone attacks in Russia This lack of a solid timeframe appeared to anger the Ukrainian president, who called it "absurd". He had earlier said there seemed to be "no readiness" to invite Ukraine to Nato or make it a member.
Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday, forcing flights to be diverted from Vnukovo International Airport. Cluster bomb controversy
The defence ministry said all five drones used in Tuesday's attack, which also targeted locations in the wider region around the capital, were shot down and there were no casualties. Ahead of the summit, the US confirmed it would be supplying Ukraine with cluster bombs - a controversial weapon banned by more than 100 countries because of the danger they pose to civilians - as part of its latest military aid package worth $800m (£600m).
According to Russian media reports monitored by BBC Verify, there have been more than 120 suspected drone attacks this year in Russia and Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine. Cluster bombs typically release lots of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area.
These have mostly been in the Bryansk and Belgorod regions in Russia near the north-eastern border with Ukraine, as well as in Russian-annexed Crimea. The munitions have also caused controversy over their failure rate. Unexploded bomblets can linger on the ground for years and then indiscriminately detonate.
There have also been a series of drone attacks in the Moscow region in recent weeks, including a wave of strikes on 30 May which damaged several buildings. Ukraine has denied carrying out these strikes. Several allies of the US - including the UK, Canada, New Zealand and Spain - have expressed unease at the decision although Ukraine's defence minister has given assurances the cluster bombs will be used only to break through enemy defence lines, and not in urban areas.
What do we know about drone attacks in Russia? Why is US giving Ukraine 'abhorrent' weapons?
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says part of the reason Ukraine wants them is that it is running low on artillery shells because it is using them more quickly than its Western allies can replace them.
Some experts say that by using cluster bombs to suppress enemy fire from the trenches, Ukrainian forces could gain precious time to help them clear their way through Russian minefields along the front line.
But others say there is no need for them, arguing that different types of conventional weapons could do the job just as well.
Both Moscow and Kyiv have used cluster bombs during the war.
More than a year of fightingMore than a year of fighting
Russia's invasion began with dozens of missile strikes on cities all over Ukraine before dawn on 24 February 2022.Russia's invasion began with dozens of missile strikes on cities all over Ukraine before dawn on 24 February 2022.
Russian ground troops moved in quickly and within a few weeks were in control of large areas of Ukraine.Russian ground troops moved in quickly and within a few weeks were in control of large areas of Ukraine.
They had advanced to the suburbs of Kyiv, and controlled much of the north-east of the country around Sumy.They had advanced to the suburbs of Kyiv, and controlled much of the north-east of the country around Sumy.
Russian forces were bombarding Kharkiv, and they had taken territory in the east and south as far as Kherson, and surrounded the port city of Mariupol.Russian forces were bombarding Kharkiv, and they had taken territory in the east and south as far as Kherson, and surrounded the port city of Mariupol.
But, they hit very strong Ukrainian resistance almost everywhere and faced serious logistical problems with poorly motivated Russian troops suffering shortages of food, water and ammunition.But, they hit very strong Ukrainian resistance almost everywhere and faced serious logistical problems with poorly motivated Russian troops suffering shortages of food, water and ammunition.
Ukrainian forces were also quick to deploy Western supplied arms such as the Nlaw anti-tank system, which proved highly effective against the Russian advance.Ukrainian forces were also quick to deploy Western supplied arms such as the Nlaw anti-tank system, which proved highly effective against the Russian advance.
More Western arms followed and by October the picture had changed dramatically - having failed to take Kyiv, Russia had withdrawn completely from the north.More Western arms followed and by October the picture had changed dramatically - having failed to take Kyiv, Russia had withdrawn completely from the north.
Ukraine had its first major success, pushing Russia back from Kharkiv, and counter-attacking around Kherson and eventually regaining control of the city.Ukraine had its first major success, pushing Russia back from Kharkiv, and counter-attacking around Kherson and eventually regaining control of the city.
More than a year since the invasion, Ukraine is now hoping its latest counter-offensive can turn the war in its favour.More than a year since the invasion, Ukraine is now hoping its latest counter-offensive can turn the war in its favour.
By David Brown, Bella Hurrell, Dominic Bailey, Mike Hills, Lucy Rodgers, Paul Sargeant, Alison Trowsdale, Tural Ahmedzade, Chris Clayton, Mark Bryson, Zoe Bartholomew, Sean Willmott, Sana Dionysiou, Joy Roxas, Gerry Fletcher, Jana Tauschinsk, Debie Loizou, Simon Martin and Prina Shah.By David Brown, Bella Hurrell, Dominic Bailey, Mike Hills, Lucy Rodgers, Paul Sargeant, Alison Trowsdale, Tural Ahmedzade, Chris Clayton, Mark Bryson, Zoe Bartholomew, Sean Willmott, Sana Dionysiou, Joy Roxas, Gerry Fletcher, Jana Tauschinsk, Debie Loizou, Simon Martin and Prina Shah.
About these mapsAbout these maps
To indicate which parts of Ukraine are under control by Russian troops we are using daily assessments published by the Institute for the Study of War with the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project.To indicate which parts of Ukraine are under control by Russian troops we are using daily assessments published by the Institute for the Study of War with the American Enterprise Institute's Critical Threats Project.
To show key areas where advances are taking place we are also using updates from the UK Ministry of Defence and BBC research.To show key areas where advances are taking place we are also using updates from the UK Ministry of Defence and BBC research.
The situation in Ukraine is often fast moving and it is likely there will be times when there have been changes not reflected in the maps.The situation in Ukraine is often fast moving and it is likely there will be times when there have been changes not reflected in the maps.
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