The Ukrainian army conducted a surprise onslaught in the north of the country, toward Kharkiv, which may have been their biggest success so far in the conflict.
East of Kharkiv, a region in northern Ukraine, the Ukrainian army overcame Russian positions. The Ukrainian army appeared in unexpected locations for the Russians as they rammed their spears into the enemy’s defences. The Russian troops was forced to evacuate as a result of the attack’s surprise component. The collapse is so bad that the rarely visible Russian officials publicly acknowledge their struggles. The liberation of the settlements of Balakliia, Volokhiv Yar, and Borshchivka may be seen along the horizontal axis running from Kharkiv to the east. The troops of Ukraine claimed to have gained control of Koupiansk, a crucial rail and road junction, on Saturday, September 10.
Now that Ukrainian soldiers have arrived at the entrance to the Russian-occupied city of Izium, Izium was freed on September 11 and Ukrainian President Zelensky paid a surprise visit to the city on September 14).
These military triumphs have assisted in boosting the morale of Ukrainian soldiers in addition to the military and strategic value of the recently reclaimed territory. A crucial turning point would soon be reached in the counteroffensive at Kherson, to the south, which would now encompass three fronts. Particularly in light of the fact that the Ukrainian side is still making progress.
3 attacks in a row
The Ukrainian government declared a counteroffensive to free Kherson in the country’s south on Monday, August 29. At the same time, Kiev fully forbade media from covering the front lines of the military operations taking place around the nation. The Ukrainian army marched east of Slovansk in the Donbass while all eyes were on Mikolaiv and Kherson. The Ukrainian army then launched an operation this week east of Kharkiv. The goal of the three-point offensive was to trick the Russian personnel. The Russian staff redistributed forces to the south, lowering the number of soldiers on the Kharkiv front, believing Kherson to be the major objective of the Ukrainian army.
The Ukrainian government initially operated very covertly and did not immediately declare any potential military victory. The Ukrainian staff’s desperate attempt to keep silence was broken, nevertheless, by the pictures of liberated towns that Ukrainian civilians and soldiers shared on social media. As a result, the Ukrainian staff was compelled to corroborate the information that had been released online while also forbidding media from travelling to this area to observe the actual advancement of Ukraine’s troops.
On the Russian side, bloggers expressed concern over their army’s lack of response and discussed the challenges the Russian army faced in Kharkiv. The Russian general staff acknowledged the loss of Balakliia and through a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, announced “an organised transfer of troops of the forces stationed in Balakliia and Izium to the Donetsk region” on Saturday, September 10. On Friday, September 9, Russian state television channels showed images of sending reinforcements. If successful, the recovery of Izioum would be Ukraine’s biggest triumph since the Russian invasion’s inception in February. (Ukraine seized Izium on September 11.)
One of the essential components of Ukraine’s retaliation was Western weapons.
These victories were undoubtedly made possible by the U.S. and Europe’s timely application of modern weapons. The Ukrainian military learned to employ these weapons intentionally after rushing to utilise expensive weaponry in engagements that were pointless and exposed to Russian bombing. The 155 mm Howitzer Zuzana artillery system, the M777 long-range gun, and the Himars rocket launcher system (M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) all contributed to the destruction of the Russian reinforcements and artillery lines. Ukrainian intelligence identified the frontal regions to assault and the targets for artillery fire with the aid of foreign allies and perhaps also the resistance fighters present in the captured territory.
At a time when it was believed impossible to contend with Russia’s sluggish and destructive carpet-bombing strategies to level it all and then swiftly seize the land. Once more, the Ukrainian side set the pace militarily. Ukrainian forces demonstrated with these three counterattacks that they could more effectively transition to attack than resistance. In addition to boosting Ukrainian soldiers’ morale, this also disheartened the Russian foe. If they are sustained over an extended period of time, these recaptures will provide the Ukrainian military the momentum it needs to recover from its June and July defeats in the Donbass region. These counterattacks also sent a good message to Kiev’s friends, who had just provided Kiev with arms and were eager for the Ukrainian side to win.
Good point 🙂