Ukraine notes that it recaptured more than 20 settlements in one day; Russia strikes back

First modification: 09/12/2022 – 19:29

As Ukraine recovers significant territory and boosts the morale of its troops, the Kremlin warned on September 12 that it will achieve the goals of its “special military operation.”

It is the first response from the Russian government amid significant advances by the local army, which has regained control of most of the northeastern province of Kharkiv in recent weeks. More than 20 cities and towns repossessed in the last 24 hours alone, according to reports from kyiv.

It is an extension of land at least the size of Greater London, explained the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, whose intelligence agencies monitor the conflict.

As a result, the authorities of the attacked country claim that Moscow forces are fleeing to the occupied areas of Donbass and even back to Russia.

“The rest of the military have an extremely low moral and psychological state, they refuse to return to the combat zone,” the Ukrainian General Staff pointed out.

Among the territories recovered from that region in recent days is the strategic city of Izium, which until recently was the main bastion of the invading troops in that region.

The Ukrainian counteroffensive there forced the Russians to abandon their positions and leave behind huge stockpiles of ammunition and military equipment, photos and videos released by Ukrainian officials showed. It is the biggest blow to the Kremlin military since the unsuccessful attempt to take kyiv in the first phase of the war.which began on February 24.

The advance of the Ukrainian Army would not only be limited to areas occupied by the Russians in the northeast of the country, where they have directed most of their offensive. In the south of the nation, forces of the government of Volodymyr Zelensky expelled foreign soldiers from around 500 square kilometers in the last two weeks. This includes five settlements in the Kherson region, Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s southern military command, said on September 12.

“In several sections we have advanced, between four and several tens of kilometers. We have liberated areas that add up to around 500 square kilometers,” the official assured. These data have not been able to be verified independently, given the difficult access conditions.

The British Ministry of Defense indicated that Moscow’s losses in the Kharkiv region will affect the Kremlin’s “general operation” and further damage the morale of its troops on the ground.

“It is very likely that the majority of the force in Ukraine will be forced to prioritize emergency defensive actions. The already limited trust deployed troops have in Russia’s top military leadership is likely to deteriorate further,” the British defense ministry said.

Moscow has not denied the advances of local forces, but warned that it will not sit idly by. The first results of his response were observed in the last few hours.

Russian response cuts electricity and water supply in Kharkiv

The Kremlin responded this Monday, September 12, to Ukraine’s advances by doubling down and challenging with counterattacks.

A series of Russian missile strikes once again cut off power and water supplies in Kharkiv province, confirmed Ihor Terekhov, the city’s mayor of the city of the same name.

The shelling of the region’s infrastructure came just after Ukrainian experts restored about 80% of power and water, following the previous day’s raids.

Both Terekhov and President Zelensky accuse the Russian military of committing “terrorist acts”, emphasizing that they focus on targeting civilian buildings.

“Military facilities were not attacked (…) The goal is to deprive people of light and heating,” said the Ukrainian president.

On Sunday night alone, Russian troops launched a total of 11 missiles against the east of the nation, the Ukrainian Air Force specified, causing a complete blackout in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions, and partial interruptions in Zaporizhia regions. , in the south of the country.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy director of the Ukrainian president’s office, reported that power supply had been restored in some areas.

In a telephone press conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that his country will achieve the goals of its “special military operation”.

He also indicated that there are no talks on the possible demilitarization of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, one of the key recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after his visit to the largest nuclear plant in Europe.

International alarms are triggered by the constant bombing in the vicinity of the plant, of which the two parties are accused, and increase the risk of a radioactive disaster.

After months of little perceptible movement on the battlefield, kyiv’s sudden surge signals a significant recovery that is causing outrage in Russia, but Vladimir Putin’s government is not stopping in its occupation aspirations.

With Reuters and local media