The Latest Breaking News from Donetsk

Kyiv plays coy about start of push to retake its territory from Russia, but denies Moscow’s claims to have repelled assaults

Russian forces driven back in at least two areas as Zelenskiy hails advances by his country’s ‘warriors’

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin says Ukraine has retaken part of Berkhivka, a settlement north of Bakhmut

Hanna Maliar says Kyiv’s forces are moving to ‘offensive actions’, heightening speculation that a counteroffensive is close to launch

Kyiv on Monday said Ukrainian forces were conducting "offensive actions" on the front line as the country faces pressure from the West to announce the launch of a long-awaited counteroffensive. Russia meanwhile said that its forces had thwarted a major offensive at five points along the front in the southern…

Claim comes as Ukraine prepares for a major counteroffensive to retake territory occupied by Russia.

Russia's defence ministry on Monday said Ukraine had launched an attack in the eastern Donetsk region.

Russia said on Monday its forces had thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive at five points along the front in the Ukrainian region of Donetsk and killed hundreds of troops while Ukraine accused Moscow of spreading lies.

Clashes are continuing around the devastated city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine and Moscow is still suffering "significant losses" despite a relative easing of combat operations in recent days, Kyiv's armed forces said on Sunday.