Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukrainian troops have retaken more than 1,000 sq km of territory in the country’s south and east from Russia in the past week.
In a video address, Zelenskyy said that more than 30 settlements had been “liberated” in the Kharkiv region in recent days.
He added that his country’s forces were successfully continuing active operations in several areas.
Russia’s top occupation official in Kharkiv region conceded Ukrainian forces had won a “significant victory”, according to the BBC.
Vitaly Ganchev told Russian TV that the Ukrainians had broken through the Russian defense line.
- He said civilians were being evacuated from Kupiansk, one of the most important urban centers in the Russian-held part of Kharkiv, and two other towns.
Earlier this week, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian troops had recaptured several towns in the Kharkiv region in the country’s northeast from Russian forces.
Observers have reported a breakthrough by Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region in recent days, with no official confirmation of the potential gains.
Kharkiv region has been partly occupied by Russian troops since the start of the invasion launched on February 24.
The city of the same name is regularly targeted by bombardments, but the Russian troops have never managed to seize it.
Near the start of the war, Russian forces shelled a nuclear research institute in Kharkiv, setting buildings on fire.
Source: Arutz Sheva