15
Jun
Kiev, June 15 (IANS) Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar has confirmed that "extremely fierce battles" are raging in parts of the country as forces continue their counter-offensive against Russia. In a social media post late Wednesday, Maliar said that Ukrainian troops had advanced around the key city of Bakhmut, which has for months been at the heart of fierce fighting, reports the BBC. She said soldiers advanced by 200m to 500m towards the city, as well as advancing 300m to 500m in the southern Zaporizhzhia province. But Maliar also conceded that the counter-offensive had already led to some "extremely fierce…