Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhniy stated that his forces had retaken nearly 3,000 kilometres (kms) of Russia-controlled territory in Kharkiv and were within 50 kms from the Russian border as Russian forces decided to “run away” over the weekend. He also mentioned that they were rapidly moving towards the southern and eastern regions of Kharkiv.
In his nightly address on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asserted, “These days, the Russian army is showing its best – showing its back. […] There is and will be no place for the occupiers in Ukraine.”
🇺🇦 counteroffensive is ongoing in the Kharkiv region. Dozens of villages and towns have been liberated. #UAarmy reached Hoptivka check point, at the border of the terrorist state.
— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) September 11, 2022
🇺🇦 will restore its territorial integrity, including Donbas and Crimea.
Prepare to swim, occupiers. pic.twitter.com/6L3hO7MvJN
According to Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov, Ukrainian troops have recaptured over 40 settlements in the region, including Kupiansk and Izium in northern Kharkiv. Russian forces had used Izium as a logistics centre and thousands of its troops abandoned ammunition and military equipment while making a “hasty retreat.” Similarly, Kupiansk was the only city to supply Russian units via the rail route toward the northeastern and eastern parts of Ukraine. With the collapse of their offensive in two main cities in Kharkiv, Russia is expected to find it extremely difficult to effectively deploy reinforcements.
Nevertheless, though the Ukrainian Defence Minister Olexii Reznikov commended the success of Ukraine’s counterattack, he also cautioned that they need to secure recaptured territories, as a Russian counteroffensive could not be ruled out. Similarly, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said, “Ukrainian troops are advancing in eastern Ukraine, liberating more cities and villages. Their courage coupled with Western military support brings astonishing results,” adding, “It’s crucial to keep sending arms to Ukraine.”
For context of where that is. As you see, Russia’s border is just a sprint away. pic.twitter.com/3bspU47Lv6
— Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) September 11, 2022
After the Ukrainian Defence Ministry shared photos of their flag being raised in Balakleya’s town square on Saturday, the Russian Defence Ministry confirmed that “to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to liberate Donbas, a decision was made to regroup the Russian troops stationed in the Balakleya and Izium regions to build up efforts in the Donetsk direction,” which would be a three-day operation. It further claimed that 4,000 Ukrainian troops were killed and about 8,000 injured, with more than 100 armoured vehicles and artillery destroyed last week.
The first deputy minister of information for the Russia-controlled Donetsk region, Daniil Bezsonov, also corroborated that Russian forces had retreated from Izium as well as some other settlements in Kharkiv. “This is the result of high command mistakes,” he acknowledged on Telegram.
A total blackout in the Kharkiv & Donetsk regions, a partial one in the Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk & Sumy regions. RF terrorists remain terrorists & attack critical infrastructure. No military facilities, the goal is to deprive people of light & heat. #RussiaIsATerroristState
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) September 11, 2022
In a similar vein, Chechnya Governor Ramzan Kadyrov, who has sent thousands of his troops to aid Russia in invading Ukraine, condemned Moscow’s strategy to retreat, saying that he would “reach senior-most officials to spell out his message” if no changes were made. “I’m not a strategist like those in the Defense Ministry. But it’s clear that mistakes were made,” he asserted, adding that all the settlements will be taken over by Russian forces again. Vowing to send more men, he claimed to “reach Odesa in the nearest future.”
In light of the “substantial victory,” the head of the Russia-controlled administration of Kharkiv, Vitaly Ganchev, called for the evacuation of the people to Russia “just to save lives, because every settlement in Kharkiv region is under continuous shelling.”
2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣ days of full-scale #Russia’s war on #Ukraine.
— MFA of Ukraine 🇺🇦 (@MFA_Ukraine) September 12, 2022
Information on #Russian invasion.
Losses of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, September 12. pic.twitter.com/10OQKoPAZI
Meanwhile, Ukraine accused Russia of targeting civilian infrastructure after a Russian counterattack led to a huge fire at one of the thermal power plants on the outskirts of Kharkiv, resulting in a complete black-out on Sunday. However, power was later restored in some parts of Ukraine’s second-largest city.