 Ukraine's armed forces liberated at least five settlements in two days. Ukraine claims to have recaptured at least five settlements from Russia in what would be the first territorial gains of its long-awaited counter-offensive. About a week after Ukrainian forces began advancing at various points along the front line, Kiev said it liberated three villages on June 11 in the southeast of the country. The footage showed Kiev's forces hoisting the Ukrainian flag at a building in the village of Blahodatny in Donetsk region and posing with their unit's flag in the adjacent village of Neskutshny. Blahodatny had a pre-war population of just 1,000 residents. The village, which has been the centre of intense fighting in recent days, sits on the road towards the city of Mariupol and some analysts have suggested that Ukraine could seek to recapture the port city in the coming months. Others have speculated that Kiev wants to break the land bridge between occupied Crimea and Donetsk, isolating Russian troops on the peninsula. Then, on June 12, a photo shared by Ukraine's Deputy Defense Minister, Hannah Malia, showed soldiers hoisting the country's yellow and blue flag at what she claimed was the village of Storoziv in the Donetsk as she thanked the 35th Separate Brigades of Marines for liberating the settlement. Storoziv is located between Blahodatny and Neskutshny. Ukraine also claims to have recaptured Makarivka, the next village to the south of Blahodatny and advanced between 300 metres and 1,500 metres at two points on the southern front. Malia said in a statement, no positions were lost in the directions where our forces are on the defensive. Malia Adik, on the 12th of June, Ukraine's defenders reported on the liberation of the settlement of Novo Darivka in Zaporizia Oblast, which happened at the beginning of June.