The Ukrainian army has launched its counter-offensive. Ukraine announced on Monday, September 12, to have taken over “more than 20 localities” in the Kharkiv region.
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On television and in the pro-Kremlin media, there is no denying that a Ukrainian counter-offensive is underway. But it is contained by the Russian army, say all the newspapers, which speak of a regrouping operation to evoke the withdrawal of troops in the Karkhiv region. For its part, the Ukrainian army announced on Monday 12 September that it had resumed “more than twenty localities” of this area in 24 hours. Ukraine claims to have taken back around 3,000 km² of its territory since the start of its counter-offensive in early September. Areas that the Russian army claims to bombard, this Monday, in particular in the regions of Koupiansk and Izium.
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The Russian media insist on the Ukrainian losses. According to the Russian General Staff, the Ukrainian army would have lost 4,000 soldiers between September 6 and 10. At the top of power, no comment. On the weekend of September 10 and 11, Vladimir Putin took part in the celebrations of the 875th anniversary of the founding of Moscow in a festive atmosphere – almost surreal against a backdrop of fireworks on Saturday evening.
A few voices are raised despite everything on the encrypted Telegram messaging channels where certain ultranationalists castigate the incompetence of the army and speak of treason.
At the other end of the political spectrum, two groups of local elected officials from Moscow and St. Petersburg published letters calling for the impeachment of the Russian president and denouncing the consequences of the war in Ukraine for the Russian population. They have been summoned by the police and risk being prosecuted.