‘7 months of war’; Ukraine regains Kharkiv, raises flags in occupied towns

The Kharkiv region and other territories taken by Moscow on the first day of Vladimir Putin’s military assault have reportedly been returned to Ukraine, according to The Guardian. The Ukrainian military was seen in Vovchansk, a freshly freed city in Kharkiv Oblast, fewer than 20 kilometres from the Ukrainian-Russian border, on Tuesday, September 13, according to a video released by Ukraine’s official border guard agency.

After reclaiming control of the areas that had been under Russian occupation for six months, Ukrainian forces hoisted flags in the towns and villages. Ukrainian troops hoist the national flag in the keytown of Kreminna and on a rooftop after establishing their authority over the Kharkiv area. Russian soldiers have fled the region as Ukraine has gained significant territorial advances, particularly in the city of Kharkiv.

According to reports, Russian military and intelligence leaders have started to leave Crimea in the aftermath of recent setbacks. According to the BBC, Ukrainian forces have taken control of Izyum and Kupiansk, two important supply centres for the Russian forces in the Donbas. Both cities are located in the Kharkiv area.

Top developments:

• Ukraine is in full control of more than 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 square miles) of territory recaptured from Russian forces and is stabilising another 4,000 square kilometres, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
• According to Zelenskiy, inhabitants of Balakliya, one of the localities that has been recovered, are now getting pension payments for five months. In order to safeguard Ukraine’s future sovereignty, the president also called for bilateral and multilateral agreements with foreign nations.
• Russian forces have begun to withdraw, which is considered by many commentators as a huge victory for Ukraine. A startling reversal in the dynamic of the fighting has seen Ukrainian army recover dozens of towns. A senior U.S. military officer claimed that Russia has mostly given up its gains in the area of Kharkiv and that many of the Russian forces who are retreating have left Ukraine.
• Reuters reported on Saturday that Moscow has given up on its key stronghold in the northeast. Since the start of the invasion, this is regarded as Russia’s worst loss. The pressure from nationalists at home has forced Russian President Vladimir Putin to speak out about the military loss.
• A German government official told Reuters that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz encouraged Russian President Vladimir Putin to find a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine based on a ceasefire and the swift departure of all Russian forces.
• According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russian forces is still in its early stages, but Ukrainian forces have already made “significant progress’ -The US is expected to announce a new military aid package for Ukraine in the ‘coming days,’ according to the White House.
• According to the U.N., all three of the backup power lines at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant owned by Russia’s Zaporizhzhia have been restored. said nuclear watchdog. Shelling around the plant had brought down the wires.
• -The chief of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, stated that she and the president of the war-torn Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, had agreed to look into methods to increase the IMF’s assistance to the nation and move toward a full-fledged financing package on Tuesday.
• According to Reuters, Russia has increased its shelling of power plants and other infrastructure in reaction to a recent Ukrainian counteroffensive in the country’s east and south. This has led to blackouts in the city of Kharkiv and other areas.
• President Zelenskiy said that on Sunday and Monday, the Russian army ‘hit the Ukrainian energy infrastructure,’ leaving ‘hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians in the dark — without electricity’. He asserted that Russia wants to prevent Ukraine from exporting power to Europe.