Ukrainian troops who counterattacked Russian forces in the northeast reportedly pushed them back from Kharkiv and advanced as far as the border with Russia.
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It remains unclear how many troops have reached the Russian border or where. The governor of the Luhansk region said the situation remains “difficult” with Russian soldiers trying to take the city of Sieverodonetsk.
The developments, if confirmed, would signal a further shift in momentum in favor of Ukrainian forces nearly three months after the conflict.
Meanwhile, Moscow warned of “far-reaching consequences” if Finland and Sweden plan to join NATO’s military alliance — a change in the Scandinavian countries’ long-standing neutrality policy sparked by concerns over Russia’s broader policies. President Vladimir Putin. Ambitions.
Fighting was reported Monday (local time) near Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in what interior ministry adviser Vadym Denisenko said was “our counter-offensive.”
“It’s unstoppable,” he said.
“This will allow us to go to the rear of the Russian force.”
Kharkiv has endured near-constant shelling since the invasion began in February. (AP: Bernat Armangue)
About 50 km from the border with Russia, Kharkiv had endured weeks of heavy bombardment from Russian artillery.
The Russians’ route from there follows their failure to take the capital Kyiv in the early stages of the war.
On Monday, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that the 227th battalion of the 127th Brigade of the Ukrainian Territorial Forces had reached the border with Russia.
“Together to victory!” it said.
Governor Oleh Sinegubov of the Kharkiv region said troops had restored a sign at the border.
“We thank all those who risked their lives to liberate Ukraine from Russian invaders,” Sinegubov said.
Reuters could not immediately verify Ukraine’s battlefield report, and it was unclear how many troops had reached the Russian border or where.
If confirmed, it would indicate that a Ukrainian counter-offensive is increasingly successful in pushing back Russian forces in the northeast after Western military agencies said Moscow’s offensive in the Donbas region to the east had stalled. Came.
Ukraine’s counter-offensive seems to be having some success. (AP: Mstyslav Chernov)
Nevertheless, the governor of the Luhansk region in Donbas, Serhiy Gaidai, said the situation “remains difficult”, with Russian troops trying to take the city of Sieverodonetsk.
He said leaders of the Luhansk People’s Republic, the area in Luhansk controlled by Russian-backed separatists, have declared a general mobilization, adding that it is “fight or be shot, there is no other choice”.
In the south, fighting raged around Kherson, and Russian missiles hit residential areas of Mykolayiv, the Kyiv presidential office said. Reuters could not verify the messages.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine could win the war on Sunday, an outcome few military analysts had predicted when Russia invaded Ukraine.
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NATO expansion
As a blow to Russia, which has long resisted NATO expansion, Finland confirmed on Sunday that it would apply to join the alliance.
Sweden’s ruling Social Democrats also supported NATO membership, paving the way for application and giving up decades of military non-alignment.
But Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday that Finland and Sweden are making a mistake that would have far-reaching consequences.
“They should not have the illusion that we will just accept it,” said Mr. Ryabkov, quoted by the Interfax news agency.
“The general level of military tension will rise, and the predictability in this area will decrease.”
NATO and the United States said they were confident that both countries would be included in the alliance and that Turkey’s reservations about the Scandinavian countries stopping support for Kurdish militant groups on their territory could be overcome.
British military intelligence said Russia had lost about a third of the ground combat forces deployed in February and that the Donbas offensive was “significantly behind schedule”.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, and up and down hands for volume. Viewing Duration: 1 minute 22 seconds 1m 22s Why is Ukraine’s Donbas region a focal point for Russia?
Fighting around Izium
The most intense fighting appeared to have been around the eastern Russian-occupied Izium, where Russia said it hit Ukrainian positions with missiles.
The Ukrainian military task force said that Russia continued to target civilian areas along the entire frontline in Luhansk and Donetsk, firing on 23 towns and cities.
The Ukrainian army also acknowledged the setbacks, saying that Russian troops “continue to advance” in several areas in the Donbas region.
Video footage obtained on Sunday shows a shower of burning ammunition hitting the Azovstal steel mill. (Reuters)
The Russian bombing of the steel factories in the southern port of Mariupol, where several hundred Ukrainian fighters held out weeks after the city fell into Russian hands, did not stop on Sunday either.
On Monday, Alexander Khodakovsky, a commander of the separatist forces in Donetsk, said on his Telegram channel that 10 Ukrainian fighters emerged from a tunnel at the Azovstal steel plant carrying white flags.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said “very difficult and delicate negotiations” were underway to rescue Ukrainians in Mariupol and Azovstal.
Ukrainian troops were given a morale boost by the country’s victory in the Eurovision Song Contest over the weekend, and some said it was a sign of future battlefield victories.
“We have shown that we can not only fight but also sing very beautifully,” said Vitaliy, a soldier bunkered north of Kyiv.
Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, and up and down hands for volume. Viewing Duration: 2 minutes 9 seconds 2m 9s Military analysts say Ukraine appears to have won the Battle of Kharkiv.
Reuters
