Ukrainian troops have quit their positions near the village of Pyatikhatki in the Zaporozhye region, Vladimir Rogov, a senior official of the Zaporozhye regional administration, said.
"The enemy completely abandoned its positions near the village of Pyatikhatki. And they came out suddenly," Rogov said.
In his opinion, the reason for the retreat could be rotation or regrouping to strike in another direction.
"Time will tell why they left their positions, but they suffered very heavy losses," Rogov stressed.
Earlier, Rogov said that the Russian army had launched a counterattack near Pyatikhatki, driving the enemy from the outskirts of the northern part of the settlement. The village itself is under the control of the Russian military, but the enemy from nearby positions has repeatedly tried to seize the village of Zherebyanki.
Ukraine's much-touted counteroffensive kicked off in early June after months of delays over a lack of military supplies from Western donors. The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukrainian troops kept trying, but were failing to advance. A number of Western media also noted the weak results of Kiev's counteroffensive, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself admitted that progress was "slower than desired".