REMEMBER, THERE'S A WAR ON, AND WE ARE INVOLVED AS A SUPPLIER.  FROM REUTERS: 

Ukraine said on Sunday its troops had recaptured three villages from Russian forces in its southeast, the first liberated settlements it has reported since launching a counter-offensive this week.

Kyiv‘s forces posted unverified videos showing soldiers hoisting the Ukrainian flag at a bombed-out building in the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk region and posing with their unit’s flag in the adjacent village of Neskuchne.

“We’re seeing the first results of the counter-offensive actions, localized results,” Valeryi Shershen, spokesperson for Ukraine‘s “Tavria” military sector, said on television.

Ukraine‘s army also retook Makarivka, the next village to the south, and advanced between 300 and 1,500 meters in two directions on the southern front, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said in a statement.

“No positions were lost on the directions where our forces are on the defensive,” Maliar added.

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday gave his strongest signal yet that Kyiv has launched its long-awaited counterattack to seize back land in the east and south, confirming that “counteroffensive and defensive operations” were taking place.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that a Ukrainian military push was well underway, but that it had failed so far to breach Russian defensive lines and taken heavy casualties.

Kyiv officials have imposed a strict period of operational silence and urged Ukrainians not to disclose any information that could compromise the operation.

With so little information out of Kyiv and scant independent reporting from the front lines, it has been almost impossible to assess the battlefield situation.

The video from Blahodatne showed Ukrainian troops inside a heavily damaged building as the sound of artillery rumbled in the distance.

COMMENT:  That's a big part of the problem here, accurate information.  We can't base our policy on claims and morale-boosting announcements.  We hope the Ukrainians push the Russians out, but hope is not a policy. 

Stand by for more.

June 12, 2023