Ukraine’s armed forces have broken through Russian defences in the south, even as their rapid offensive in the east continues to regain lost territory, according to a Reuters report. 

Several villages along the Dnipro River were captured by Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian officials. Since the country began a counteroffensive in September, its armies have been regaining lost territory while simultaneously straining Russian supply lines. 

The gains made in the south are similar to the advances made in the east even as Russia has been increasing the stakes by annexing four Russian-led Ukrainian territories, threatening nuclear war and mobilising 300,000 reservists.

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Despite the annexation announcements from Russia last week, Ukraine has now made considerable inroads into two of the four regions. The country under siege recently took over a Lyman, key logistics hub for Russia’s supply lines. Momentum also seems to be moving east as a Reuters report found that Ukraine was directing support to the recently captured town, a move that will likely herald a concentrated push into the Donbas region. 

The southern advance along the banks of the Dnipro River has been focused on cutting off the supply lines of some 25,000 troops on the west bank, according to a Reuters report. Ukrainian forces have already destroyed several main bridges, forcing the use of makeshift bridges to ensure supply lines aren’t cut off.

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Lyman’s capture on Friday came just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin officially announced the annexation of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk at the Kremlin on Friday. 

In other news, tech billionaire Elon Musk offered up his own advice on how the Ukraine-Russian war could be resolved, sparking condemnation from several Ukrainian officials, including President Vlodymyr Zelenskyy. 

Musk suggested a UN-supervised referendum in the annexed regions as well as letting Russia retain control over Crimea, that it annexed in 2014.