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Ukraine war / By Leonie Lopez
07.14 BST

Ukraine makes progress towards Novoprokopivka, military spokesperson says

Emma Graham-Harrison

A military spokesperson says Ukrainian armed forces are making progress in the direction of Novoprokopivka – the village beyond Robotyne, in the direction of Melitopol.

The capture of Robotyne was announced earlier this week. Even though just a few miles from where Ukrainian troops were at the start of the counter-offensive, it marked a significant achievement in breaking through an initial line of Russian defences prepared over the winter.

This is very preliminary, but suggests they are consolidating those gains and moving further south.

The ultimate goal is to break through to the Azov sea, severing Russian logistics and communications lines with troops in Kherson and Crimea.

Updated at 08.20 BST