The US think tank made the assessment in its latest report on the war in Ukraine, published on Sunday night.
Ukrainian forces on Sunday “advanced near Bakhmut,” amid continued counteroffensive operations near the eastern city, as well as in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, the ISW reported.
Ukrainian troops advanced over the railway line south of Andriivka, 10 km southwest of Bakhmut, according to geolocated footage released on Sunday, the US think tank said.
Overall, Ukrainian forces continued their counteroffensive in the direction of the port of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia, and in the direction of Bakhmut in Donetsk province, the General Staff in Kyiv said in its latest frontline update on Monday morning.
Ukrainian troops “inflict losses on the occupying forces in personnel and equipment, and wear down the enemy along the entire front line,” according to Ukraine’s military authorities.
In all, there were some 60 combat engagements between Ukrainian and Russian forces on Sunday, the RBC-Ukraine news agency reported.
Russian attacks
Russia on Sunday launched one missile attack, 88 air strikes, and 70 attacks with rocket artillery on Ukraine’s military positions and civilian areas, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.
These strikes led to casualties among civilians, as well as damage and destruction of private houses and other civilian facilities, RBC-Ukraine reported.
Russia also fired twelve Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles against Ukraine overnight into Sunday, all of which were brought down by Ukraine’s air defences, according to the General Staff in Kyiv.
Ukrainian strikes
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force on Sunday carried out 16 strikes on Russia’s personnel, weapons and military hardware sites, the RBC-Ukraine news agency reported.
In addition, Ukraine struck missiles into six concentrations of Russian troops, weapons and military equipment, a Russian command post, three Russian air defence systems and six pieces of Russian artillery, Ukraine’s General Staff said.
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.
Monday is day 614 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: ISW, facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua, RBC-Ukraine