Ukraine is slowly reclaiming small portions of territory in a tedious counteroffensive in the southern region of Kherson while the majority of Russian forces are tied down in the eastern part of the country.
After retaking the village of Mykolaivka, which improved Ukraine's strategic position, its armed forces have claimed a number of small victories, including in the village of Tavriiske.
Serhii Hlan, head of the Regional Military Administration of Kherson, wrote that the army is launching counterattacks on the villages of Kyselivka, Soldatske and Oleksandrivka.
Kyselivka is approximately 20 miles from the regional capital of Kherson.
Kherson, which has been occupied by Russian forces for most of the war, has seen protests and resistance operations that have intensified recently. One flyer, distributed across the city, read: ''Russians, too late to run. Rostov - 559 Kilometers, Armed Forces of Ukraine - 10.'' Rostov is the nearest city in Russia proper, nearly 350 miles away.
Despite the territorial gains, some military analysts are expressing caution.
Mykhailo Zhirokhov, a Ukrainian military historian, says that the state of affairs along the entire front line is by and large ''unstable,'' except for the eastern regions, and claims of a Ukrainian counteroffensive are premature.
''What's happening can't be called a counteroffensive. Both Russians and Ukrainians are constantly losing and reclaiming small settlements in the so-called gray zone of the front,'' Zhirokhov told Newsmax.
In the northeastern Kharkov region, some villages have traded hands four times.
Moreover, Russia is consolidating its positions and adding reservists to hold its southern gains. According to a video report by Vladislav Nazarov, head of the Operational Command South, Russia is protecting the Northern Crimean Canal in Kherson that allows them to pump water into Crimea. Ukraine cut the water supply after Russia annexed the peninsula in 2014.
''Russians have engineered reinforced concrete protection for the canal. All bridges and points of entry have been fortified as well,'' Nazarov told Newsmax.
Military experts have said that Ukraine is in need of ''offensive'' weapons from its Western allies to conduct any counteroffensive.
Former Foreign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin told the Novini Pryazovia newspaper that those weapons have been slow to come.
''The majority of our western partners are scared of further escalating the war with Russia. In particular, they're afraid of nuclear and chemical strikes,'' Klimkin said.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov suggested that the Russians' morale will be a key factor in the outcome.
''If Russians are prepared to die for Kherson, it'll be very tough for us to make any gains right now,'' Zdanov said. ''If they're not, they'll retreat and run, no matter what their leadership will tell them to do. I doubt they're ready to die for Kherson.''