War in Ukraine: the underside of a counter-attack

A few tens of kilometers south of Kharkiv (Ukraine), there are charred tanks marked with the letter Z. The traces of the debacle of the Russian army, which had to flee hastily before the Ukrainian lightning counter-offensive. The town of Balaklia (Ukraine) was recently reconquered. It is almost deserted, partly destroyed. The few inhabitants still present saw the Ukrainian soldiers disembark a few days ago, relieved. “We didn’t expect it. When I saw our soldiers with the Ukrainian flag, it was great, great,” says Iryna Stepanenko, a resident of Balaklia.

According to the Ukrainian authorities, 3,000 km2 would have been taken back in just a few days. Taken aback by this surprise offensive, Russia ordered the withdrawal of its soldiers and their regrouping near Donetsk (Ukraine). The pro-Russian separatists recognize that they are also in a bad position in this area. “The situation is quite difficult in a good number of localities in the north of our republic”, says Denis Pushilin, pro-Russian separatist leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic. In recent weeks, Ukraine had repeatedly announced an offensive around Kherson (Ukraine), where Ukrainian forces are progressing more slowly.