A few weeks since Ukrainian forces launched their counter-offensive and they are already making major gains against Russia in the ongoing war. Supplied with weapons provided by the West, Ukraine continues to push further into the Kharkiv region, moving towards the southern and eastern territories.
Ukraine’s military chief said Sunday that Ukrainian troops are pushing further north in Kharkiv, successfully advancing to its southern and eastern regions as it looks to recapture territories seized by Russian forces. This comes a day after Russian forces were driven to abandon the area.
Ukrainian chief commander, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said its armed forces had regained control of over 3,000 square kilometers since the start of the month.
This marks the worst defeat for Russian forces since the start of the war when they were driven out of the capital Kyiv back in March. Thousands of Russian troops left behind ammunition and equipment upon fleeing the city of Izium, which they used as a logistics hub.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the progress as a major breakthrough in the war that had continued for more than six months. Zelenskyy added that Ukrainian forces may continue their gains in the coming winter season if they continue to receive weapons from the West.
Ukrainian defense minister Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine needed to secure recaptured territory against a possible counter-attack by Russia on Ukrainian supply lines. Reznikov told the Financial Times that Ukrainian forces could be encircled by Russian troops if they advanced too far.
However, Reznikov noted that the offensive went better than he expected, saying that it was like a “snowball rolling down a hill.”
According to Kyiv-based analyst Oleh Zhdanov, Ukraine’s gains could bring a further advance into the Luhansk region, which is held by pro-Russian separatists. Russia claimed to capture Luhansk back in July.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s defense ministry said in its intelligence bulletin Monday that Moscow has likely ordered its troops to withdraw from Kharkiv, adding that Ukraine has recaptured territory that is twice the size of Greater London.
“In the face of Ukrainian advances, Russia has likely ordered the withdrawal of its troops from the entirety of occupied Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River. Isolated pockets of resistance remain in this sector, but since Wednesday, Ukraine has recaptured territory at least twice the size of Greater London,” tweeted the ministry.