In a speech on Tuesday afternoon, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said about 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) had been liberated by Ukrainian forces so far this month, apparently all in the northeastern region of Kharkiv. “Stabilization measures” had been completed in about half of that territory, Zelensky said, “and in a liberated area of about the same size, stabilization measures are still ongoing.” Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reuters was not able to immediately verify the full extent of the battlefield successes claimed by Ukraine. The total area mentioned by Zelenskiy is roughly the size of the Greek island of Crete. Asked if Ukraine had reached a tipping point in the six-month war, Biden said it was hard to say. “It is clear that the Ukrainians have made significant progress. But I think it will be a long way.” The White House, which has provided billions of dollars in weapons and support, said earlier that the United States was likely to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine in the “coming days.” Russian forces have abandoned defensive positions, particularly in and around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, a US spokesman said. Since Moscow abandoned its main bastion in the northeast on Saturday, suffering its worst defeat since the first days of the war, Ukrainian troops have recaptured dozens of towns in a stunning shift in battlefield dynamics. Russian forces still control about a fifth of Ukraine in the south and east, but Kyiv is now under attack in both areas. Ukraine’s presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych raised the prospect of a move to eastern Luhansk province, which along with Donetsk is known as the Donbas, a major industrial region near the border with Russia. “There is now an attack on Liman and there could be an advance on Shiversk,” Arestovich said in a video posted on YouTube, referring to the two cities. He predicted a battle for the town of Svatovo, where he said the Russians have bunkers. “And that’s what they fear the most – that we take Lyman and then move on to Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk. And they will be cut off from Svatovo,” he said. Denis Pushilin, leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic run by Russian proxies, said in a video post that Lyman remains in their hands. “The situation has stabilized. The enemy is of course trying to advance in small groups, but allied forces (under Russia) repel them completely.”
MILITARY RECEIVERS
Speaking in the central Balakliia square, a critical military supply hub seized by Ukrainian forces late last week, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said 150,000 people had been freed from Russian rule in the region. Ukrainian flags were raised and a large crowd gathered to receive bundles of humanitarian aid. A shopping center was destroyed, but many buildings remained intact, with shops closed and shuttered. “The goal is to liberate the Kharkiv region and beyond all the territories occupied by the Russian Federation,” Maliar said on the road to Balaklia, located 74 km (46 miles) southeast of Kharkiv. The road to Balaklia through the liberated areas was littered with charred vehicles and damaged military equipment. read more Groups of Ukrainian soldiers smoked, smiled and chatted by the roadside. A soldier was sprawled out on top of a tank as if it were his living room couch. In the nearby village of Verbivka, emotional but cheerful residents, many of them of retirement age, recounted the harrowing lives they led under nearly seven months of Russian occupation. “It was scary: we tried to walk less, so we would be seen less,” said Tetiana Sinovaz. Nadia Khvostok, 76, described the traumatic occupation and the arrival of Ukrainian troops, saying residents welcomed them “with tears in our eyes”. There were abandoned Russian vehicles, including a military truck with a broken windshield.
POWER LINES RESTORED
Meanwhile, repair crews have restored the two main power lines that supply the city of Kharkiv and its suburbs, power company Ukrenergo said after Russian shelling caused blackouts. The Kiev government fears Russia will step up attacks on its energy grids as winter approaches and is asking the West for anti-aircraft technology to protect the infrastructure. read more With Russian forces under pressure, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Scholz called on Putin to find a diplomatic solution as soon as possible, based on a ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops and respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, a German government spokesman said. read more Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syehubov, who came to Verbivka, said authorities were trying to document crimes committed by Russians during their occupation of the region and recover the victims’ bodies. “We’re asking everyone around us for all the burial sites that can be found,” he said. Moscow denies that its forces have committed atrocities in areas they control since Putin ordered the invasion on February 24. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Report by Tom Balmforth. additional reporting by Anna Voitenko and Reuters offices. written by Grant McCool. Edited by Lincoln Feast. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
