Thanks to a lightning breakthrough, Kyiv regains control of some thirty cities in the northeast. Taken by surprise, Moscow retreated.
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
A Ukrainian flag flew high in the sky over Kupyansk on Saturday.
The key city in the Kharkiv region, which had been occupied for months, was recaptured from Russian forces in a surprise counter-offensive which freed around 30 localities and more than 2,000 kilometers of territory in the space of A few days.
SOURCE: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE / LA PRESSE INFOGRAPHY
This was announced on Saturday evening by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “There is no place in Ukraine for the occupiers, and there never will be,” he said in a video.
At the beginning of September, Kyiv announced a counter-attack in the south of the country. However, in an unexpected turnaround, Ukrainian troops made major inroads in the northeast.
PHOTO JUAN BARRETO, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
Scene sketched in Balakleia, in the Kharkiv region, on Saturday
“No one saw it coming, and even less the Russians,” believes Dominique Arel, professor at the University of Ottawa and holder of the Chair in Ukrainian Studies.
Moscow announced Saturday the withdrawal of its forces around the reconquered city of Balakleïa and Izium, whose recovery would be imminent.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the troops will be redeployed to the pro-Russian separatist region of Donetsk, where the situation is “difficult”, its pro-Russian leader acknowledged.
UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES PHOTO, VIA REUTERS
Soldiers pose in front of a Ukrainian flag in the village of Vasylenkove, recently liberated by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Russian troops “probably were taken by surprise”, the British army said on Saturday. “The sector was only weakly held,” she added.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Ukrainian army, which leads a “rapid advance” in the northeast, faces “pockets of disorganized Russian forces”.
“In recent days, the Russian army has shown us what it has best: its back. After all, it is a good choice for her to flee,” Volodymyr Zelensky said. At present, negotiation with Vladimir Putin is impossible, believes his government. “The best ground for discussion with Putin is the battlefield”, released the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmitro Kouleba, at the Sunday newspaper.
A “spectacular” victory
What will be the repercussions of this counter-offensive on the conflict? No one can predict, answers Dominique Arel.
But this “spectacular” victory for Ukraine certainly marks a turning point in this war that has been raging for six months, he believes.
It’s one thing to make a counter-offensive, but there the front has completely collapsed.
Dominique Arel, professor at the University of Ottawa and holder of the Chair in Ukrainian Studies
From a strategic point of view, Kyiv’s progress in the northeast would allow it to cut off the supply of the Russian army to the Donbass, the capture of which is Moscow’s priority.
This major step, in addition to galvanizing the morale of the troops, could also give Ukraine additional leverage to claim military aid, adds the professor.
On Saturday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, visiting Kyiv, reiterated Europe’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.
Because the war risks dragging on for months, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned on Friday, despite Ukraine’s recent progress.
The conflict is entering a critical period, they said, urging Western allies to maintain support through what could be a difficult winter.
Progress in the South
In southern Ukraine too, the Ukrainian army is advancing.
The soldiers would have advanced on the front lines “in several areas, and between two to several tens of kilometers”, Natalia Houmeniouk, spokeswoman for the southern military command, told local media.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian troops “continue to target the crossings of Russian pontoons and ferries on a daily basis”.
First vote in Russia since the war
In addition, local and regional elections – the first vote since the start of the invasion – began on Friday in Russia. Nearly 45 million voters will be called to the polls in 82 regions to elect their governors or their regional deputies.
In August, the head of the Electoral Commission, Ella Pamfilova, had justified the maintenance of these extended polls, adopted during the COVID-19, as a “very practical format”.
But many Russian activists have accused Moscow of using this modus operandi to more easily rig votes.
With Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press and The world