Ukraine steps up drive to retake Russian-controlled south with air strikes

A rescuer walks among debris at a site of a residential area destroyed by a Russian military strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the town of Toretsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine July 27, 2022. Press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout via REUTERS

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine stepped up its drive to retake its Russian-controlled south by trying to bomb and isolate Russian troops in hard-to-resupply areas, but it said on Thursday it saw evidence that Moscow was redeploying its forces to defend the territory.

In messages to mark the annual Day of Ukrainian Statehood, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy congratulated Ukrainians and sounded defiant.