Ukraine liberates 168.8 sq km, clears 187.7 sq km in Dobropillia counteroffensive - Zelenskyy

Since the beginning of the Dobropillia counter-offensive operation, 168.8 sq km of territory have already been liberated and another 187.7 sq km have been cleared of Russian sabotage groups, the total losses of the enemy within the framework of this operation have already reached almost 3,000, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said following a meeting with the military.

According to the President, the was attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Chief of the General Staff Andriy Hnatov, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal and the Deputy Head of the Office Pavlo Palisa.

"There were reports on the front - key areas, as well as the situation in the border area. Special attention was paid to the Dobropillia counter-offensive operation. As of this morning, 168.8 sq km of territory have already been liberated since the start of the operation and another 187.7 sq km have been cleared of Russian sabotage groups. The total losses of the Russians within the framework of this operation alone are already almost 3,000 people, and the majority are irretrievable losses," Zelenskyy said on Telegram on Friday.

The President noted that the replenishment of the exchange fund for Ukraine is ongoing.

In addition, there were reports on the situation in Kupyansk and the surrounding territories.

"We discussed in detail the course of our actions in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions in general," he said.

Syrsky also reported on the shooting down of a Russian Su-34 in Zaporizhia. According to the president, this plane, along with others, was used by the Russians to bomb Zaporizhia, other cities and villages.

"We will continue to quite rightly destroy Russian military aviation in response to attacks on our cities, on our people. We are also working with partners to further strengthen our sky defense," Zelenskyy said.

Following the results of meetings and agreements in at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York, the Ministry of Defense and Ukrainian diplomats received relevant instructions.