Moscow said it had thwarted a major Ukrainian assault in the south of Ukraine's Donetsk region, killing 250 soldiers and destroying 16 tanks.

Ukraine's deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar dismissed the claims, saying they were made to distract from Russian losses in Bakhmut.

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She said Ukrainian forces were "shifting to offensive actions" in some areas along the frontline - but dismissed suggestions this was part of a major operation.

Speaking hours after meeting the UK foreign secretary in Kyiv, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow had reacted "hysterically" to "every step we take" in Donetsk.

He said: "First of all, I am grateful to each of our warriors, to all our defenders who gave us the news we expect. Bakhmut direction - well done, warriors!"

Mr Zelenskyy added: "The enemy knows that Ukraine will win. They see it."

Donetsk was illegally annexed by Russia last year but is only partially controlled by Moscow.

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Drone footage released by Moscow allegedly showed the destruction of Ukrainian equipment.

The head of Russia's private military, the Wagner Group, also claimed that Ukrainian forces have retaken part of a settlement north of Bakhmut - two weeks after the group spearheaded the successful assault on the eastern city, after the longest battle of the war.

Calling it a "disgrace", Yevgeny Prigozhin said Kyiv's forces had retaken the area of Berkhivka.

He urged leaders within Russia's military, including defence minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, to come to the frontline.

"Come on, you can do it!" He wrote on Telegram. "And if you can't, you'll die heroes."

Ukraine's Ms Maliar said the area around Bakhmut remained the "epicentre" of fighting and that the Ukrainian military was "moving along a fairly wide front".

Earlier on Monday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly met Mr Zelenskyy and the country's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, during his second visit to Kyiv.

The pair discussed how the UK can continue to best support Ukraine, from the battlefield to banking guarantees, according to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

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The visitcomes amid preparations for the Ukraine recovery conference in London later in June, which will focus on boosting the nation's economy.