Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited troops at the front line near Bakhmut as Ukrainian forces continue to make ground in their counteroffensive, the president's office said Tuesday.

Zelenskyy, who was accompanied by commander of ground forces Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, thanked soldiers for their service and presented them with awards, according to a video released by the office.

"I awarded the best warriors. And I thank everyone who fights for the sake of the state," Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian defense forces continue to advance in the direction of Melitopol, according to the spokesman for Pavlo Kovalchuk, the general staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"They were successful in the direction of Robotyne - Novoprokopivka. They are entrenching at the achieved milestones," the spokesman said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Cuban officials announced Monday that they have "detected" and are "working on the neutralization and dismantling of a human trafficking network that operates from Russia to incorporate Cuban citizens living there, and even some from Cuba, into the military forces participating in war operations in Ukraine."

"Attempts of this nature have been neutralized and criminal proceedings have been initiated against people involved in these activities," the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry noted that "Cuba has a firm and clear historical position against mercenarism and plays an active role in the United Nations in repudiation of this practice."

"Cuba is not part of the war in Ukraine," the ministry added. "It is acting and will act energetically against anyone, from the national territory, who participates in any form of human trafficking for the purpose of recruitment or mercenarism for Cuban citizens to use arms against any country."

-ABC News' Mara Valdes

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked the country’s parliament to replace the country’s current Minister of Defense.

In a Sunday address, Zelenskyy told the Ukrainian people they need new approaches for the military and Rustem Umerov is the person he wants in the minister job. Current minister Oleksiy Reznikov has served throughout the conflict with Russia.

Additionally, Zelenskyy announced he had reached an agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron. Though he did not go into details, Zelenskyy mentioned the agreement is related to training Ukrainian pilots in France.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

Russian officials are claiming a drone attack on the Bryansk region by Ukraine, the second such attack in the country in as many nights. Two drones were allegedly shot down by air defense in the city, according to local officials.

One of the Ukrainian kamikaze drones that attacked Bryansk fell on the hotel of the Department of Affairs of the regional government, about 100 meters from the building of the regional administration, according to multiple local officials.

Meanwhile, Russia claimed it repelled a drone attack on the Moscow region. The drone attack Thursday morning caused no casualties or destruction in the Voskresensk district of the Moscow region, the district's head, Alexei Malkin, said.

"No traces of destruction have been discovered thus far. No one was injured. All emergency services are working at the scene," Malkin said on his Telegram channel.

"On-duty air defenses destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicle over the Voskresensk district of the Moscow region," the ministry said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Ukrainian Armed Forces have yet to reach their "full potential," but two top generals exclusively told ABC News the counteroffensive is "going to plan" despite concerns from Western analysts that Ukraine is not making enough progress.

Gen. Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who is leading the counteroffensive in the south, told ABC News' chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz that the situation is "stable."

"The main thing is that we haven’t reached our full potential," Tarnavskiy said.

Ukrainian troops launched the counteroffensive a month ago, attacking on multiple axes on the southern frontline in Zaporizhzia using Western-supplied vehicles. Ukraine succeeded in piercing Russian lines at two points, liberating a string of villages, but has since been locked in ferocious fighting

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces, told Raddatz that last month's failed rebellion by the Putin-backed PMC, the Wagner Group, wouldn't impact the fighting on the ground.

"It would be better for us if there were some negative consequences in Russia itself, but it doesn't matter for me," he said.

Asked if he was confident of retaking the key city of Bakhmut, Syrskyi said, "Yes, of course. I’m sure."

Both sides have suffered heavy casualties, according to Western officials, particularly in the south where Russia has so far conducted "relatively effective defensive operations" in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia province, the U.K. Ministry of Defense reported.

"The enemy is suffering eight times or even 10 times higher losses, especially with the number of killed troops," Syrksyi said.

-ABC News' Guy Davies and Meghan Mistry