After a quick counteroffensive, Ukraine targets the east in the Kharkiv offensive.

 After gaining a number of successes in a quick counteroffensive, Ukrainian officials said they are now focusing on towns in the eastern Donbas region.

Russian troops were forced to retire in recent days as Ukraine's army recaptured large portions of the area they had taken over.

In the Kharkiv area, where they had retaken 8,000 sq km (3,088 sq miles) of land, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed his soldiers were strengthening their hold.

According to US Vice President Joe Biden, Ukraine has achieved "substantial" progress.

Although it was "obvious" that the push had been successful, Mr. Biden issued a warning that the offensive "may be a long haul."

Despite the fact that Russia still has control over around 5% of Ukraine, communities in the Donbas that fell early in the conflict are now in danger.from the advancing soldiers of Kiev.

Russia has been concentrating on the Donbas, some of which were already under the control of Russian-backed rebels before Russia launched its invasion this year, after failing to take cities throughout the country, including the capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian soldiers have reportedly arrived in the vital town of Lyman, according to Serhiy Hayday, the exiled Ukrainian leader of the Luhansk area, one of the two provinces that make up the Donbas.

In a Telegram post, Mr. Hayday stated that "there are hard fighting in Lyman right now, which I expect will endure a few more days."

At the end of May, Russian forces captured Lyman after a fierce combat. It is only 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Donetsk, the self-declared capital of the Donetsk People's Republic.