In the war that has been going on for 200 days, the advance of the Ukrainian army in the east of the country continued on Monday. “The liberation of cities under Russian occupation in the Kharkov and Donetsk regions continues,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in its situation report on Monday. Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in a video message that he would take the strategically important city of Izyum.
According to sources in Kiev, a total of more than 20 cities have been recaptured in the past 24 hours. Russian troops have now also left the towns of Welykyj Burluk and Dvorichna. Videos of Ukrainian soldiers raising the country’s flag have surfaced in the town 140 kilometers southeast of Kharkov.
“Hundreds of our towns and villages liberated”
Ukrainian President Selenskyj had previously announced in a video speech published Monday night (see video above) that he would take the strategically important city of Izyum, which had previously been disputed. The Ukrainian army has “liberated hundreds of our towns and villages,” most recently the cities of Izyum, Balakliya and Kupyansk, it said Sunday night, 200 days after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began.
“Those who defended Mariupol and the Azov steel plant liberated Kiev, as well as Zhytomyr, Chernihiv, the Sumy region, Bucha, Irpin, Borodyanka, Vorsel, Gostomel and Makariv. And now: Balakliia, Izyum and Kupyansk,” Zelenskyi said.
“The hardest thing is still ahead of us”
“We have achieved a lot in these 200 days, but the most important and therefore the most difficult is still ahead of us,” said Zelenskyj, thanking the Ukrainian Ground Forces, the Air Force, the Naval Forces – and everyone who was in these days, among others. of independence, the history of victory, the history of Ukraine”.
According to the Ukrainian General Staff, Russian troops have also left the small town of Svatove in the Luhansk region. According to a situation report, only the separatist militias are deployed there. They would also have succeeded in retaking the eastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, which is important for the supply of Russian troops and which had already been occupied at the beginning of the Russian war of aggression. However, this information cannot be independently verified.
Ukraine last weekend celebrated one of its greatest successes since the war started more than six months ago: pressured by its counter-offensive, the Russian defense ministry announced on Saturday that it was withdrawing its own troops from the eastern region of Kharkov. The withdrawal was officially justified with a strategic “regrouping” of the units.
Experts see serious setback for Moscow
The Russian army surprisingly announced on Saturday that it was withdrawing troops from areas in eastern Ukraine, including the areas around Balakliya and Izyum. According to the Russian report, the troops will be moved further south to reinforce Russian forces in the Donetsk region. Military experts consider Ukraine’s recapture of Izyum a serious setback for the Russian military in eastern Ukraine.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
