The Ukrainian military announced today that pushed back Russian forces to a depth of “3 to 8 kilometers” on the Russian-held bank of the Dnieper, giving a first estimate in numbers of the advance of Ukrainian troops in that zone after months of counteroffensive without major gains.

“Preliminary figures range from 3 to 8 kilometers” due to geographical and topographical peculiarities of the left bank of the Dnieper, military spokeswoman Natalya Gumeniuk told Ukrainian television.

If the advance is confirmed, it will be the largest advance by the Ukrainian military against Russian forces for months.

The spokeswoman did not specify, however, whether the Ukrainian forces fully control this zone of the Kherson region, in southern Ukraine, or whether the Russian army withdrew from them as it faced the attacks of the forces of Kiev.

“The enemy continues to fire artillery on the right bank,” the spokeswoman continued, estimating the number of Russian soldiers in that zone at “several tens of thousands.”

“We have a lot of work to do,” he added.

Kiev’s counteroffensive against Russian forces in June was unsuccessful, allowing the Ukrainian army to retake only a few villages in the south and east of the country.

The most recent major success reported by Ukraine in its counteroffensive was the August recapture of the village of Robotyne in the southern region of Zaporizhia.

The AFP is unable to confirm or deny the claims of the parties involved in the conflict.