Ukraine’s military authorities announced today that their troops recaptured more than 3,000 square kilometers of territory in September from Russian forces during a counteroffensive in northeastern Ukraine.
“Since the beginning of September, more than 3,000 square kilometers have returned to Ukrainian control,” Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military, said in a statement.
“Around Kharkiv, we started moving not only to the south and east, but also to the north. We are 50 kilometers from the border,” Zaluzhnyi said.
Russia announced on Saturday that it had “withdrawn” its present forces “in the Balakliia and Izium regions” to “strengthen” its system around Donetsk, further south, one of the capitals of the pro-Russian separatists.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday predicted a “rapid evacuation” from the country this winter as the Russian army “flees in various directions.”
Speaking at the annual Yalta European Strategy (YES) international forum, which took place in kyiv, Zelensky said that “the winter period could be a turning point in the liberation of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.”
“To do this, our military needs a systematic supply of the necessary types of weapons,” he said, according to the presidential website.
“I think this winter is a turning point and it could mean a quick evacuation from Ukraine. [as forças russas] they are fleeing in some directions. If we are a little stronger with weapons, we will be able to dislodge faster,” he said.
Zelensky also stressed that the Ukrainian army remains ready to advance on the ground and “defend the [sua] Land”.
The military offensive launched on February 24 by Russia in Ukraine has already caused the flight of almost 13 million people -more than six million internally displaced persons and almost seven million to neighboring countries-, according to the latest UN data, which places this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion was condemned by the international community at large, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia in everything from banking to energy to sports.
The UN presented as confirmed 5,587 civilian deaths and 7,890 wounded, stressing that the real figures are much higher and will only be known at the end of the conflict.
Source: TSF
