Even after the liberation of the cities of Izyum and Kupyansk, the Ukrainian counter-offensive continues. In the Kharkiv region, the Russian occupiers control fewer and fewer areas. Moscow's units are also said to be retreating in the south. Chechen leader Kadyrov is seething with anger. The 200th day of the war at a glance.
Russian map shows significant territorial losses
After successful Ukrainian counterattacks, Russian troops are apparently also withdrawing from the northern part of the Kharkiv region. According to media reports, residents in the village of Kosacha Lopan, 30 kilometers north of the metropolis of Kharkiv, hoisted the Ukrainian flag. The Russian units had previously left the site, which is almost four kilometers from the Russian border.
A map of the Kharkiv region published by the Kremlin also showed that Russian troops were largely withdrawing from the area. The map presented by the Defense Ministry in Moscow showed that the Russian army now controls only a small part in the east of the region east of the Oskol River. At the briefing the day before, the map had indicated a much larger area as being under Russian control.
US institute certifies Ukraine's resounding success
According to US experts, Ukrainian forces have regained more territory in five days than Russian troops have occupied since April. "The liberation of Izyum will be Ukraine's greatest military success since the victory in the Battle of Kyiv in March," said the Institute for the Study of the War (ISW) in its analysis of the situation. According to the experts, the advance planned by Russia on the Donbass from the north failed.
According to the army command, the Ukrainian armed forces have recaptured more than 3,000 square kilometers of Russian-held territory since the beginning of September. The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zalushny, announced that there had been gains in territory around the second-largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv in the north, where the armed forces had moved up to 50 kilometers from the Russian border.
Ukrainian defense minister warns of Russian counterattack
Despite the reports of success, Defense Minister Oleksiy Resnikov warned of possible counterattacks by the Russian side. Ukraine must secure the recaptured areas, Resnikov told the Financial Times. The Ukrainian troops are exhausted after their offensive, but morale is good.
According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the Russian armed forces have already attacked positions of Ukrainian troops in the Kharkiv region. The attacks were carried out by airborne troops, rockets and artillery, the ministry said on social media. The information could not be independently verified.
Kyiv: Russians are also fleeing in the south
The Ukrainian troops seem to be successful not only in the Kharkiv region. According to information from Kyiv, Russian units are also withdrawing from parts of the southern Cherson region. In some places, the occupiers have already left their positions there, the Ukrainian general staff said. In the city of Nowa Kachowka, the Russian soldiers had cleared a hospital in order to hole themselves up in it, it was said. There was initially no reaction from the Russian side.
As the Belarusian opposition media Nexta reported, Russian occupiers are also said to be fleeing the Luhansk region, which has been occupied since 2014. Nexta referred to statements by the Ukrainian military governor of the region, Serhiy Haidai. "According to reports, the attackers began to flee en masse from occupied Luhansk and Alchevsk," Nexta wrote on Twitter. The information could not be independently verified.
Kadyrov dissatisfied with warfare
The head of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has criticized Russia's military planners for the defeats in the Kharkiv region. "Unless changes are made today or tomorrow in the conduct of the military special operation, I will be forced to go to the state leadership to explain the situation on the ground," Kadyrov said in an audio address on Telegram. Kadyrov, who rules Chechnya with an iron fist on behalf of the Russian government, is one of President Vladimir Putin's key supporters, for example in his actions in Ukraine.
Lavrov: "Russia does not refuse negotiations with Ukraine"
Meanwhile, the Russian leadership has once again signaled its willingness to negotiate. "Russia does not oppose negotiations with Ukraine, but the longer the process is delayed, the more difficult it becomes to reach an agreement," Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on state television. The negotiations, which began shortly after Russia launched a war of aggression against the neighboring country, have been suspended for months.
Officially, Moscow blames Kyiv for stopping the negotiations. However, Russia is making tough conditions for peace. Ukraine should not only forego joining NATO, but also agree to high territorial losses. Moscow has demanded the cession of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Other official demands by the Kremlin are for the "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine.
Power outages in eastern Ukraine
There were power outages in large parts of eastern Ukraine in the evening. Kyiv gave the reason for the shelling of critical infrastructure by Russian troops. Representatives of the Ukrainian authorities in the city of Kharkiv, as well as in the Donetsk and Sumy regions, published corresponding notices about power outages in online networks. AFP reporters reported power outages in the city of Kramatorsk. In the early morning, the last reactor of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant was taken off the grid, so that the power plant no longer generates electricity.
According to information from Moscow, Kremlin chief Putin and French President Macron spoke on the phone about the critical situation at the said nuclear power plant. According to a Kremlin statement, Putin has called for international action on Ukraine to stop its attacks on the plant. Further details were not known.
US ambassador demands more commitment from Germany
The US ambassador to Germany, Amy Gutmann, has cautiously called on the federal government to provide even more support for Ukraine's defensive struggle. She welcomes and admires what the Germans are doing for Ukraine, Gutmann said on ZDF. "Nevertheless, my expectations of Germany are even higher."
She continued: "From my point of view, Germany is making a big contribution right now, from my point of view Germany would like to take a greater leadership role here, and we hope and expect that Germany will also fulfill this - just like the US just did a military aid package from committed $15 billion."
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