Ukraine on Monday claimed to have regained ground in the east and south of the country thanks to its offensives against the Russian invasion. “The liberation of towns in the hands of Russian invaders continues in the Kharkov and Donietsk regions“, in the east of the country, the Ukrainian army announced.
Along the entire front line, “Ukrainian forces have managed to expel the enemy from more than 20 locations” in 24 hours, he added, assuring that “Russian troops are hastily abandoning their positions and fleeing.”
On Sunday President Volodimir Zelensky had announced that the city of Izium (east) had been “liberated” as part of the counteroffensive. According to military experts, the loss of this strategic city could seriously undermine Moscow’s military ambitions in eastern Ukraine.
The breakthrough revives kyiv’s hopes of a turning point in the conflict, after a long period in which the front appeared deadlocked.
Pro-Russian occupation authorities in the Kharkiv region said Monday that they had moved to Russia’s Belgorod region, near the border, officially to help with the influx of refugees, according to Russian agencies.
However, today Monday, after admitting that it had lost ground, the Kremlin resumed an offensive tone and announced the bombing of the areas recovered by Ukraine in the Kharkov region, in the Kupiansk and Izium sectors.
He also assured that the Russian offensive launched in February will continue “until the objectives are achieved.”
Ukraine claims to have recaptured around 3,000 km2 of its territory, mostly in the Kharkov region since the beginning of September. And this Monday he claimed the reconquest of 500 km2 in two weeks of counteroffensive in the Jersón region (south).
In this area, “the occupiers also withdrew from their positions in several localities,” the Ukrainian army announced on Sunday.
Several eastern, northern, southern and central regions of the country also suffered major power outages on Sunday, blamed by kyiv on Russian attacks. Near Kharkov, thermal power plant number 5, the second in the country, was affected, according to the presidency.
However, power was quickly restored to some of the affected areas. In Kharkov, 80% of electricity and water supply were restored, a deputy head of the presidency, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said on Telegram on Monday.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko called the attacks “an act of desperation” by Russian forces in the face of their setbacks.
