The Kiev army says it is already close to the strategic city of Kupiansk, which military experts say could be captured by Kremlin forces in the next 72 hours.
Although Moscow is silent about the counter-offensive that Ukrainian forces claim to be carrying out in the Kharkov region, in Ukraine’s far northeast, Russian television on Friday showed images of the Russian Defense Ministry showing columns of trucks, armored vehicles and artillery pieces in the towards the Kharkov area in order to “strengthen” the occupying apparatus there. Kiev assures that its forces have recaptured several towns near Kharkov in a counter-offensive already approaching the city of Kupiansk.
Several Telegram stations this morning published photos of Ukrainian soldiers waving their country’s flag against the background of the road sign announcing their arrival in Kupiansk. Military specialists point out that this urban center and transportation hub could fall into the hands of the Ukrainian military in the next 72 hours. Pro-Russian authorities in Kremlin-occupied areas in the Kharkiv region have called on civilians to evacuate Kupiansk, Izium and Veliki Burluk.
A few days ago, heavy fighting broke out in the Kharkiv region. The first city to be liberated by Ukrainian troops was Balakleya. The head of the occupation administration appointed by Moscow, Vitaly Ganchev, admitted the loss of Balakleya and also Shevchenkovo, which is a little further north. He acknowledged that “all cities in the Kharkov region are being massively bombed by the Ukrainian army.”
The Ukrainian General Staff announced on Friday that its units had managed to penetrate 50 kilometers into the Russian-occupied territory. According to the declassified portion, “our forces are conducting a successful counter-offensive towards Kharkov. Thanks to skilful and coordinated actions, the armed forces of Ukraine, with the support of the local population, advanced almost 50 km in three days and liberated 20 population centers. According to intelligence, individual enemy units suffered significant losses, more than 600 troops. The invaders are trying to evacuate injured personnel and damaged equipment to the settlements of Olkhovatka and Borodoyárskoye. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his troops have “recaptured more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory since September 1.”.
From Prague, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin welcomed the progress Ukraine has made in recent days and emphasized that this was possible thanks to Western arms shipments, which, in his words, have “changed the dynamics on the battlefield.” successes in Kherson, successes in Kharkiv and all of this is really very, very encouraging,” Austin said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, said Friday in Brussels, at NATO headquarters, that Russia is “paying a huge price for its offensive”. In his opinion, “there is a large number of Russian troops in Ukraine and unfortunately, tragically, horribly, President Putin has shown that he will throw a lot of people in here, at a huge cost to Russia.”
“There are positive signs of the Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kherson and Kharkov,” said Blinken, who met with the Alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg. The head of US diplomacy, who visited Zelensky in Kiev on Thursday, said at a news conference along with Stoltenberg that “it is vital that we remain united, united in support of Ukraine, united among allies and united for as long as possible.” required”,
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
