KYIV, June 16 (Reuters) - Advancing Ukrainian troops are facing "desperate resistance" from Russian forces around the eastern city of Bakhmut, and are inflicting big losses on Russian troops in the south, Ukrainian military chiefs said on Friday.
Russia has not officially acknowledged Ukrainian advances in the early stages of a counteroffensive, and said it had inflicted heavy losses on Kyiv's forces in the previous 24 hours.
The Ukrainian military said last week it had started to push Russian forces back around Bakhmut.
Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces were also advancing in the south.
Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, commander of Ukrainian troops in the southern Tavriia sector, said there had been 36 combat engagements and 578 attacks in the past 24 hours in the sector.
Persons:
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Syrskyi, Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, Olena Harmash, Timothy
Organizations:
Reuters, Russian, ., Timothy Heritage, Thomson
Locations:
Bakhmut, Russia, Ukrainian, Kyiv