kyiv says it has taken over twenty localities in the east of the country

A lightning counter-offensive. Ukraine declared on Monday, September 12, to have taken over “more than twenty localities” in 24 hours in the east of the country, including the city of Izioum, described as strategic. A few hours later, Moscow said it was bombing the newly recaptured areas and repeated that it wanted to continue its intervention in Ukraine. “until the goals are achieved”.

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The advance of Ukrainian soldiers concerns the regions of Kharkiv and Donetsk, the Ukrainian army said. Throughout the front line, his forces “succeeded in driving out the enemy” in 24 hours, she added, assuring that “Russian troops hastily abandon their positions and flee”. This breakthrough in the east echoes other advances in the south of the country, where two weeks of counter-offensive allowed kyiv to recover 500 km2 of territories in the Kherson region – in particular the localities of Vysokopillia, Bilogirka, Sukhy Stavok and Myroliubivka.

After conceding these losses, the Russian army declared on Monday a series of bombardments on the localities fallen into the hands of the Ukrainian forces. “LRussian aerospace and artillery forces continue to carry out precise strikes on units and reserves of the Armed Forces of Ukraine”said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.

“In the areas of the localities of Kupiansk and Izium, fighters and equipment of the nationalist formation ‘Kraken’, the 113th territorial defense brigade and the 93rd mechanized brigade were hit”he added, saying that 250 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed – which kyiv has not confirmed. The Russian ministry also said shelling was underway in the Kherson region.