UKRaine Claims to Recapture Black Sea Oil Platforms Seized During Crimea’s Annexation; Counteroffensive: UKR troops Advance by 50-200 Meters Per-Day; UKR Repels Enemy Attacks in Avdiivka, Marinka, Zaporizhzhia Sectors; UKR Destroys 6 RU Boats, LIVE UPDATES and MORE

Ukraine claims to recapture Black Sea oil platforms seized during Crimea’s annexation:

The Ukrainian military said Monday that it recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea and claimed gains in occupied areas near Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine left in ruins after the war’s longest and deadliest fighting.

The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms provides an energy source and takes back an asset that Russia seized in 2015 and used to launch helicopters, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said.

“Russia has been deprived of the ability to fully control the waters of the Black Sea, and this makes Ukraine many steps closer to regaining Crimea,” the Main Intelligence Directorate said.

The Russian Defense Ministry didn’t make any immediate comment on the Ukrainian claim, but it has previously reported that Russian warplanes destroyed several Ukrainian speedboats in the area.

Russian military bloggers posted that the platforms had been uninhabited for more than a year and a Ukrainian operation to briefly land troops there last month wasn’t followed by a lasting military presence and came at a heavy cost for Ukraine, a claim that couldn’t be independently verified.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed to do all he can to bring back Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, and has urged international allies to support the effort.

Ukraine’s reported battlefront gains, which could not be independently confirmed, came ahead of a meeting expected in coming days between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, which could include discussions of North Korea providing arms to restock Russia’s dwindling arsenal.

In other developments, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. She promised support for Ukraine’s path toward European Union membership while calling for additional reforms in the country. —>READ MORE HERE

Counteroffensive: Ukrainian troops advance by 50-200 meters per day:

At the current stage of offensive operations, the Ukrainian military is advancing by 50-200 meters per day, although sometimes there is no movement at all.

Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for the defense forces of the Tavria sector, said this on Ukrainian television, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

According to him, as a result of assault actions, Ukrainian soldiers have made gains near Robotyne, Zaporizhzhia region, in the last few days.

“At this stage, we advance by 50-100-200 meters per day. Sometimes [we advance] by kilometers. And sometimes there is no movement at all, because you need to get a foothold and protect the personnel,” Shtupun said.

When asked whether there is a feeling on the battlefield that more Russians have been sent to the Zaporizhzhia sector and, in general, to this area of hostilities, Shtupun noted that they were constantly moving reserves because they were losing personnel.

According to him, Russian troops are being moved from some temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and from Russia, because they need to replenish the losses they constantly suffer.

“Also, the enemy unsuccessfully tries to regain lost positions or tries to distract our units. They use their airborne troops in defense, but they usually send some territorial troops and so-called assault squads into the assaults,” he said.

He added that since the beginning of the Ukrainian offensive, soldiers from the Tavria operational-strategic group have already liberated more than 255 square kilometers of Ukrainian land. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:

+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++

+++++Ukrainian forces repel enemy attacks in Avdiivka, Marinka, Zaporizhzhia sectors+++++

+++++Ukraine destroys six Russian boats on Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast+++++

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