Ukrainian military officials said on Tuesday that only 6 percent of the Kharkiv region was left open for Ukrainian forces to liberate as part of a counteroffensive.
Oleg Synegubov, head of Ukraine’s military junta in the Kharkiv region, said that regardless of the positive factors, Russian shelling continued in the region, in line with a Ukrainian report. ukraine pravda.
Kremlin officials hoped for a quick victory when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an “army-specific operation” in Ukraine on Feb. 24, but Ukraine responded with a stronger-than-expected defense that prevented Putin’s forces from hitting key targets in Ukraine. Achieving success after seven months of struggle.
Assisted by Western allies and U.S. troops, Ukraine has launched a counteroffensive in key areas around Kherson and Kharkiv in recent weeks. Kharkov’s counteroffensive appears to have come as a shock to Russia, as it has enabled Ukrainian forces to quickly retake large parts of the previously occupied territories.
YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Photos
Speaking on national television, Synegubov mentioned that the Ukrainian army liberated the village of Kupyansk-Vuzlovy not long ago, and outlined the challenges they face in liberating the area close to Kharkov, Ukraine’s border with Japan and Russia. second biggest city.
He mentioned that the liberation of Kharkov was “pretty troublesome” because Russia “did not retreat and kept trying to regroup, withdraw its reserves”. ukraine pravda report.
As a result of the counteroffensive, Russia was driven out of major cities such as Izium.
At least 454 settlements in Kharkiv are “occupied” and more than 400 tons of humanitarian aid have been delivered to the residents of the area, Kyrilo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, mentioned in a telegram release. .
Suburban trains linking major cities in the region are already in operation, while Ukraine is starting to rebuild, Tymoshenko said. The Combat Institute mentioned that Ukraine appears to be making progress in retaking Maliivka, Shandryholove, Karpivka and Nove.
Positive factors for Ukraine come from Russian mobilization
While Ukraine continues to create significant positives in Kharkiv, Russia continues to organize for the direction of the conflict following Putin’s announcement of a partial mobilization of troops.
His announcement is expected to result in 300,000 reservists taking part in the clashes as his losses in Ukraine mount. During the Ukraine campaign, the Russian military faced many challenges in recruiting and maintaining a motivated force. Experts are skeptical that mobilization can solve these problems.
Russia could hold referendums in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to determine whether those regions are part of Russia. When Putin introduced “specific military operations,” he defined his intention to “liberate” the administration of Ukraine in what is often called the Donbas region. Their potential annexation could set the stage for further escalation of the battle.
Information week Russia’s Ministry of Protection has been asked for comment.
Counterattack had to liberate 6% of Kharkiv: Ukraine