Casualties mount as Ukraine’s forces inch south hamlet by hamlet

Clearest progress in counteroffensive has come north of occupied Mariupol, but Kyiv’s troops have paid a high price

• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates

A pall of black smoke hung over the string of hamlets downstream of the Ukrainian-held village of Velyka Novosilka as nearby Ukrainian heavy guns delivered an ear-splitting barrage on to the Russians hiding among the settlements’ shattered buildings.

The force of the firepower erupting into the expanse of clear blue sky caused an involuntary tremble deep in the belly. The crump of the shells’ impact, discernible to the ear moments later, offered evidence of the proximity of the targets, while the buzz of a reconnaissance drone overhead – likely Russian – gave voice to the potential of an imminent return blast, amid rumours that enemy aircraft were on their way.