Efforts to liberate all of its territories after pushing Russian forces out of the northeastern regions of the country with a swift counterattack the Ukraine. Zelensky’s country is also appealing to the West to speed up deliveries of weapons systems to support advancing Ukrainian forces.
After Moscow on Saturday (10/9) abandoned its main stronghold in northeastern Ukraine, marking its worst defeat since the first days of warUkrainian troops have recaptured dozens of towns in a dramatic turnaround on the ground.
Fighting is still raging in the northeastern region of Kharkiv, Deputy Defense Minister Hana Maliar said today (Tuesday 13/9), adding that Ukrainian forces are making progress because their motivation is high and their operation well planned.
“The goal is to liberate the Kharkiv (Kharkov) region and beyond – all the territory held by the Russian Federation,” Maliar said en route to Balaklia, a critical military supply hub recaptured late last week by Ukrainian forces and is located 74 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
Zelensky: Ukraine’s allies to strengthen cooperation to defeat Russian terrorism
In a videotaped speech late Monday night, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the West must speed up deliveries of weapons systems and called on Ukraine’s allies to “step up cooperation to defeat Russian terrorism.”
Ukraine’s armed forces reported no new advances today, saying Russian forces were shelling parts of the Kharkiv region retaken from Ukraine and attacking further south in the Donetsk region, which Moscow is trying to seize.
Ukraine has repelled attacks in the Donetsk region, its general staff said, while Denis Pushilin, head of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, said his forces were repelling Ukrainian attacks and that he believed the situation would improve.
Serhii Gaidai, the Ukrainian governor of the neighboring Lugansk region, which Moscow has seized, said, as reported by the Athens News Agency, that a major Ukrainian attack could take place there today.
Reuters was unable to confirm information from the battlefields.
Meanwhile, Russia’s military today claimed it was carrying out “massive strikes” against Ukrainian forces on all fronts, while the Kremlin has accused Kyiv of torturing and abusing civilians in areas it has recaptured in recent days.
“Russian air and ballistic forces and Russian artillery are carrying out massive strikes against units of the Ukrainian armed forces in all zones of operations,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily report.
The ministry cited mainly shelling near the cities of Sloviansk, Konstantinivka and Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, Mykolayiv and Zaporizhia regions in the south, and Kharkiv in the northeast.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, for his part, accused Ukrainian forces of “torture” and violence against residents in the zones recaptured by the Russian army in recent days.
“According to our information, there are numerous punitive actions against the residents of the Kharkiv region, people are being tortured, ill-treated,” Peskov told reporters, adding: “it’s infuriating.”
The Kremlin spokesman also said there was no talk of a general mobilization to bolster the Russian military offensive in Ukraine.
Asked about calls for conscription by a member of the Russian parliament, Peskov said: “At the moment no, there is no discussion about it.”
Asked about online criticism of the country’s leadership by nationalist commentators calling for general conscription, Peskov said it was an example of “pluralism” and that Russians as a whole continue to support President Vladimir Putin.
“Russians support the president and this is confirmed by the mood of the people … The people are united around the decisions of the head of state,” he said.
“As for other views, critical views, as long as they stay within the law, that’s pluralism, but the line is very, very fine, one has to be very careful here,” he added.
Military commentators, usually supportive of the invasion, reacted with fury after the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that it was leaving Ukraine’s Kharkiv region for a “regroupment” of its forces following last week’s blitz counter-attack. Many argued that only a general conscription could remedy the situation.
Source: News Beast
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
