A glimmer of hope for Ukraine plagued by Putin's troops.

Ukrainian troops launched a counter-offensive in the country's northeast on Friday morning and scored some successes. Ukrainian soldiers recaptured territory previously lost to Russian troops in the Chernihiv region, about 100 kilometers northeast of Kyiv.

"Ukrainian forces have liberated five villages in the Chernihiv region from Russian forces. During the operation, Ukrainian forces captured two armored vehicles and raised the Ukrainian flag over the liberated villages," the military said, according to Ukrainian media.

Photos and videos showed Ukrainian soldiers in the village of Viktorivka, about 22 kilometers south of the city of Chernihiv. They captured an armored vehicle belonging to the Russian invaders. Another tracked vehicle was seen destroyed on the roadside in the recordings.

Although Viktorivka has only about 100 inhabitants and is strategically insignificant, the village's recapture shows how bad the situation is for the Russian units in north-eastern Ukraine, when even previously encircled Ukrainian soldiers can overcome their positions.

In the Sumy region, 200 kilometers northeast of Kyiv, Ukrainian police and territorial defense units launched a counter-offensive. They tracked down a Russian supply unit near the town of Romny (40,000 inhabitants) and, according to their own statements, arrested 29 Russian soldiers without a fight.

A photograph intended to describe the scene shows nine Russian POWs, all of whom appear to be in deplorable condition and have not received food or other supplies from their army command for days.

The Ukrainian army said, "Thanks to the attention of the residents of the Romny region, a group of suspicious people in military uniforms were seen in the field near one of the villages" and then arrested. The prisoners of war may be Russian soldiers who were walking back towards Russia.

In the past two weeks, Putin's soldiers have abandoned hundreds of Russian army vehicles after running out of fuel.

At the same time, Putin's army continues to gain ground elsewhere.

In the south of the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian garrison town of Volnowacha was also taken by Russian units on Friday morning after a week's siege, according to the self-proclaimed Ministry of Defense of the Donetsk People's Republic.

Russian troops' conquest of the city is further bad news for the encircled Mariupol. The city of 450,000 is now the last remaining metropolis under Ukrainian control in south-eastern Ukraine. As a result, all Russian invaders and their local helpers can now capture the municipality on the Sea of ​​Azov.