AGENCIES

Ukraine yesterday claimed a military breakthrough in its counter-offensive against Russian invaders as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on a surprise visit to Kyiv, unveiled another $2.8 billion in military aid.

Ukraine said its forces made gains both in the north, the south and the east, prying back land seized by Russia which had hoped for a swift victory when it attacked nearly seven months ago.

In the area around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, Kyiv’s forces penetrated 50 kilometres beyond Russian lines and “liberated” more than 20 towns and villages, senior military official Oleksiy Gromov said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late on Wednesday his forces had recaptured several towns, villages in the Kharkiv region but did not give their names.

Gromov said more than 700 square kilometres had been recaptured in the Kharkiv area. A Russian official said Moscow’s forces had put up stiff resistance and prevented Kyiv’s forces from taking at least one key town.

Ukraine is also carrying out a counter-offensive on the southern front, including towards the Russian-held city of Kherson.

Gromov said Kyiv’s troops had advanced “deep into the enemy’s defences, defences from two to several dozens of kilometres” in the south. “A number of settlements have been recaptured,” he added, without giving details.

Ukrainian troops claimed gains in the eastern Donbas region, including around Kramatorsk and Sloviansk, reports AFP.

Heavy fighting was also reported yesterday in areas near the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine after Kyiv warned it might have to shut down the plant to avoid disaster.

Such a Ukrainian thrust, if confirmed and the gains are held, would be a significant boost for Kyiv, which is keen to show its Western backers that it can change the facts on the ground by force and deserves continued support.

There is additional pressure on Kyiv to demonstrate that before winter sets in, amid threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin to halt all energy shipments to Europe if Brussels goes ahead with a proposal to cap the price of Russian gas.

In a boost for Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Ukraine yesterday and announced $2.8 billion in new foreign military financing to Ukraine and 18 other countries at risk of future Russian aggression.

Amid Ukraine’s reports of gains, Russia trumpeted battlefield successes, saying it had hit five command posts and downed 13 drones yesterday.

Addressing a forum in Moscow, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Russia had withstood Western sanctions over the war better than expected, estimating that GDP had fallen just over one percent year-on-year in the first six months of 2022.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank, said the Ukrainian military looked to have made significant progress on Wednesday.

“Ukrainian forces likely used tactical surprise to advance at least 20 km into Russian-held territory in (the) eastern Kharkiv Oblast (region) on September 7, recapturing approximately 400 square kilometres of ground,” the ISW said.