The Ukrainian army has announced that it has broken the first line of defense of Russia in the occupied region of Kherson.
The reported push appears to be part of a long-awaited counteroffensive being launched by Kiev in an attempt to retake the south of the country.
The Russian military claims that Ukrainian troops suffered "heavy losses" during an unsuccessful attack attempt, writes the BBC on Tuesday.
Kherson became the first major Ukrainian city to fall to Russia after troops advanced on the city from the Crimean Peninsula in the first days of the war that began on February 24.
Early Monday, Ukraine's Kakhovka operational group in the south said a regiment of Russian-backed forces had left its positions in the Kherson region. He added that Russian paratroopers providing support also left the battlefield.
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Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to the head of the Office of the President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that the armed forces of Ukraine "have broken the front line in several places".
Witnesses reported hearing more explosions in the cities of Kherson and Nova Kakhovka. Key crossings across the Dnipro River in both countries have been repeatedly targeted by the Ukrainian military in recent weeks.
Russian state news agency Ria Novosti reported that Nova Kakhovka was left without electricity and water overnight.
In his video address on Monday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a stark warning to Russian forces: "If they want to survive, it's time for the Russian soldiers to leave. Go home".
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Ukraine says Russian forces have violated the ceasefire
Responding to Ukraine's claims, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukrainian troops had attempted an offensive in the Kherson and neighboring Mykolaiv regions.
The ministry was quoted by Russia's state news agencies as saying that the operation had failed and that Ukrainian troops had "suffered heavy losses".
