The US think tank made the assessment in its latest report on the war in Ukraine, published on Monday night.
“Ukrainian forces advanced south of Bakhmut on October 23,” the ISW said, adding that Kyiv also pushed on with counteroffensive operations in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province.
Ukrainian troops advanced across the railway line near Klishchiivka, 7 km southwest of Bakhmut, according to geolocated footage released on Sunday, the US think tank also reported.
At the same time, Russia continued “trying to encircle Avdiivka” in Donetsk, using aircraft support, “but the Ukrainian soldiers are standing their ground, inflicting major losses on the enemy,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Tuesday morning.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces also continued their counteroffensive operations in the direction of the southern port of Melitopol on the Sea of Azov, in Zaporizhzhia, the ISW reported, citing Ukraine’s military command.
Overall, Ukrainian troops were “inflicting losses in manpower and equipment on Russian occupation forces, and exhausting the enemy along the entire front line,” according to military officials in Kyiv, as cited by the Espreso TV website on Monday night.
In all, Ukrainian and Russian units clashed in 55 combat engagements on Monday, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
Russian attacks
Russia on Monday launched four missile strikes, 68 air strikes, and 49 attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems against the positions of Ukrainian troops, as well as on civilian settlements, according to officials.
These strikes brought casualties and injuries among Ukraine’s civilian population, with residential buildings and other civilian facilities destroyed or damaged, the General Staff in Kyiv said.
Russia also carried out a drone strike on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, using six Shahed attack unmanned aerial vehicles, all of which were brought down by Ukraine’s air defences, according to military authorities in Kyiv.
Ukrainian strikes
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force on Monday conducted seven strikes on concentrations of Russian troops, weapons and military hardware, as well as three strikes on Russian anti-aircraft missile systems, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
Ukraine also struck missiles into eight Russian artillery systems, four concentrations of Russian personnel, weapons and military equipment, a Russian electronic warfare station, and a Russian pontoon-bridge crossing, according to officials in Kyiv.
As part of its latest counteroffensive against Russia, Ukraine is pushing through Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, in a bid to reach the port of Melitopol on the Sea of Azov, as well as aiming to retake Bakhmut in the east, among other objectives.
Tuesday is day 608 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.
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Source: Espreso TV, ISW, war.ukraine.ua, facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua