Ukraine is settling for gains from counterattacks, Biden sees in the long run

BALKALI, Ukraine (September 14) (Reuters) – Ukraine on Wednesday took control of territory recaptured from occupying Russian forces in a swift counterattack and renewed its determination to take back all occupied territories, as US President Joe Biden predicted a “long road” to the future. . .

In a speech on Tuesday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had liberated about 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) so far this month, apparently all in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

“In about half of these territories, stabilization procedures have been completed, and in a liberated area of the same size, stabilization procedures are still in progress,” Zelensky said.

Reuters could not immediately verify the extent of the battlefield successes that Ukraine claims. The total area mentioned by Zelensky roughly corresponds to the size of the Greek island of Crete.

Asked if Ukraine had reached a turning point in the six-month war, Biden said she was hard-pressed to say so.

“Obviously, the Ukrainians have made a lot of progress. But I think it will be long.”

The White House, which has provided Ukraine with billions of dollars in arms and support, said the United States was likely to announce a new military aid package in the “coming days”.

Soldiers welcomed

Since Moscow abandoned its main stronghold in the northeast on Saturday, in its worst defeat since the early days of the war, Ukrainian forces have recaptured dozens of cities in a stunning change of momentum on the battlefield.

Speaking at the central square of Balaklia, a major military supply center captured by Ukrainian forces late last week, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said 150,000 people had been liberated from Russian domination in the region.

“The goal is to liberate the Kharkiv region and beyond – all territories occupied by the Russian Federation,” Malyar said on the road to Balaklia, 74 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv.

Groups of Ukrainian soldiers smoke, smile and chat on the side of Balaclaya Road, littered with charred vehicles and battered military equipment.

One of the soldiers was lying on a tank like sofa in his living room. read more

When the Ukrainian flag was raised again in the city, people demanded food and talked about everything they had endured.

“I was walking away (…) when I saw an armored personnel carrier arriving at the square with the Ukrainian flag,” Maria said in her voice: “My heart sank and I began to cry.” . Trembling with emotion.

The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Sihopov, said that the authorities are trying to record the crimes committed by the Russians during their occupation of the region and to recover the bodies of the victims.

“We are asking everyone around us to find any burial sites,” he said.

Moscow has denied that its forces have committed atrocities in the areas it controls since President Vladimir Putin ordered what he called a “special military operation” on February 24.

Meanwhile, repair crews have restored the main power lines supplying the city of Kharkiv and surrounding areas, energy company Okringo said, after Russian bombing caused blackouts.

Kiev fears that Moscow will step up attacks on power grids as winter approaches, and is appealing to the West for anti-aircraft technology to protect infrastructure. read more

Britain’s Defense Intelligence said on Wednesday that Russia had likely used Iranian-made drones in Ukraine for the first time, after Kiev reported shooting down one of the drones on Tuesday.

“It is almost certain that Russia will increasingly import weapons from other heavily sanctioned countries such as Iran and North Korea as their stocks dwindle,” she said in an update.

Today, Wednesday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that the Russian forces launched three missile strikes and 33 air strikes, and fired 58 missiles at military and civilian targets during the past 24 hours.

Eye of Donbass

Russian forces still control about a fifth of Ukraine in the south and east, but Kiev is now on the offensive in both regions.

Ukraine’s presidential advisor Oleksiy Aristovich has spoken of the prospects of moving to the eastern province of Luhansk, known with Donetsk as Donbass, a large industrial region close to the border with Russia.

“Now there is an attack on Lehman and there can be progress on Seversk,” Aristovich said in a video posted on YouTube. And he predicted a battle for the city of Svatovo, because he said that the Russians had warehouses for storage.

“This is what they feared most – take Liman and then advance to Leschansk and Severodonetsk,” he said, referring to the twin towns that Russia captured after heavy fighting in June and July.

In addition to setbacks in Ukraine, Russian authorities also face challenges in other former Soviet republics.

About 100 people were killed this week in the deadliest fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the 2020 war, Putin calls for calm. read more

Russian news agencies, citing the Kyrgyz border service, said that an exchange of fire broke out on Wednesday between guards patrolling the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. read more

(Reporting by Tom Palmforth). Additional reporting by Anna Voytenko and Reuters librarians. Written by Grant McCall and Lincoln Feist; Edited by Himani Sarkar

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