In a significant development, Ukrainian troops have successfully driven out Russian forces from the village of Sotnytskyi Kozachok in the northern Kharkiv region. The DeepState Map Project, with ties to Ukraine's military, reported on Telegram that Kyiv's forces had reclaimed control of the village, located near the border between Ukraine and Russia.

According to Ukrainian media, Russian troops had occupied Sotnytskyi Kozachok since July 3, allowing Moscow to expand its front line in the Kharkiv region. However, a map released by the DeepState channel showed the village marked in blue instead of red, indicating the absence of Russian forces as of late Friday night.

Sotnytskyi Kozachok was one of several settlements targeted by Russian shelling following Moscow's incursion into the region on May 10. In a Friday post, the DeepState confirmed that Ukrainian defense forces had detected and eliminated a sabotage and reconnaissance group that had been present in the village. The post further mentioned Russian advances in five villages within the Donetsk Oblast.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) highlighted that Western aid has played a crucial role in helping Ukrainian forces stabilize critical areas of the front and carry out successful counterattacks in northern Kharkiv, including towards the city of Kreminna in the Luhansk region. The ISW also emphasized that as further Western security assistance arrives and Ukraine strengthens its reserves and new brigades, Kyiv will be able to intensify its counterattacks in the coming months.

Kharkiv has witnessed significant losses of Russian troops in recent times, with the British defense ministry noting that casualties reached "conflict highs." According to the ministry, the average daily casualty numbers for Russian troops in the war amounted to 1,262 killed and 1,163 wounded over the past two months. They estimated that Moscow likely lost over 70,000 personnel during this period due to a failed attempt to advance in the region following the offensive launched in May.

In a separate incident, Russian forces launched overnight attacks in the Donetsk region, resulting in the death of six people in the town of Lyman, as reported by Ukraine's State Emergency Service. Regional authorities disclosed that these attacks across Ukraine on July 13 claimed the lives of at least seven individuals and injured 29 others.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces successfully downed four out of the five Shahed-type drones launched by Russia on Friday night, according to Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk. Additionally, an unidentified drone breached the airspace of Belarusia's Homel Oblast, which borders Ukraine.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian defense ministry for comment on these recent developments.