Ukraine’s success in recapturing territory “at least twice the size of Greater London” in Kharkiv region will significantly impact Russia’s ability to conduct operations elsewhere in the country, the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.
Kyiv’s troops are thought to have retaken 3,000 square km (1,158 square miles) of land in the east Ukrainian region since Wednesday. This includes strategically important towns like Izium, which the Kremlin used to supply its forces in parts of the eastern Donbas region.
In the face of Ukraine’s lighning advances, Russia ordered its troops to leave their positions west of the Oskil River, according to the MoD. Isolated pockets of Russian territory in Kharkiv oblast remain, it added.
Ukrainian authorities hailed the success, with presidential adviser Alexander Rodnyansky saying his country was liberating itself, something many of its allies recently “thought would be impossible”.
However, Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov warned his country to expect Russian counterattacks. On Monday, Kyiv accused Moscow of targeting a power plant in Kharkiv in retaliation for its recent defeats.
