Ukrainian army chief: Three elite Russian brigades routed in Donetsk

The Ukrainian army said it has routed several of the best Russian brigades in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
"In the fighting in the Bakhmut section, some of the enemy's best units have been crushed and have completely lost their combat power," the commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said in a statement on Monday.
The units in question were the 72nd Motor Rifle Brigade and the 31st and 83rd Air Assault Brigades.
Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces were continuing their advance and have had success piercing Russian defence lines, but emphasized that the overall situation on the eastern front was difficult.
The battlefield claims could not be independently verified.
Ukraine has been repelling a Russian invasion for almost 19 months with Western help.
Russian forces captured the town of Bakhmut in May. But Ukraine has regained around 50 square kilometers of land around Bakhmut since the start of a counteroffensive in June.