Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on June 26 handed out awards and posed for selfies with troops who are along the front line in Ukraine, saying it was an honor to be with them and shake their hands.
"Thank you for protecting Ukraine, fighting for our independence and freedom -- freedom for each and every one of us. Keep yourselves. Save your life -- save Ukraine," the president said in one of several videos posted on Telegram.
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One video showed Zelenskiy handing out awards and viewing maps with Oleksandr Syrskiy, the commander of Ukraine's ground forces. Another showed him alongside troops in a queue at a gas station counter and then posing for photos with the soldiers and women working at the gas station.
"The roads of Donetsk region, gas station, communication with our warriors. Thank you for everything you do for Ukraine! Thank you for protection! I wish you all good health and good luck in battle!" he said in a text accompanying the video.
The president's office did not say when Zelenskiy made the visit but said that in Donetsk he had met units of the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, including soldiers who have fought in the Bakhmut sector, where they distinguished themselves in heavy battles.
“I wish you health and only victory. Ukraine is proud of each of you. You are great, strong, our true Ukrainians," he said, referring to the group.
Another video showed Zelenskiy, dressed in his trademark military style T-shirt, addressing troops.
He said it was “very important” for him to visit the frontline positions of Ukrainian troops in the Berdyansk direction, singling out the third battalion of the Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskiy Separate Presidential Brigade.
Ukraine says it has been making advances this month since launching a counteroffensive, but Russian forces still hold swaths of Ukrainian territory following their full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A spokesman for the press center of Ukraine’s defense forces said separately that Ukrainian troops had advanced 1 1/2 kilometers near Melitopol.
"As a result of systemic pressure, the defense forces of the Tavria direction have succeeded and advanced 1 1/2 kilometers deep into the territories captured by the enemy," military spokesman Valeriy Shershen said.
Ukrainian troops are entrenched there and aerial reconnaissance of the area and demining has been carried out, he said, adding that artillery is working on detected enemy targets.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar reported earlier on June 26 that during the past week in the east, Ukrainian troops conducted both defensive and offensive actions and had tactical success. Ukrainian forces continue the offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions, she said.
It was not possible to independently verify the battlefield claims.