Zelenskiy says Ukraine military made major advances in south and east

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine's military had made major, rapid advances against Russian forces and freed from occupation dozens of towns in the south and east of the country.

"The Ukrainian army is advancing in quite a rapid and powerful manner in the south of the country within the context of the current defence operation," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

"This week alone, since the Russian pseudo-referendum, dozens of population centres have been liberated. These are in Kherson, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk regions all together."