Ukraine has “inflicted a major operational defeat” on Russia, recapturing almost all of the Kharkiv region in the rapid counteroffensive launched last week.
follows widespread posts on social media by Ukrainian troops that appear to show them advancing through towns dozens of miles east of where the front lay only five days ago.
Ukrainian successes in the north at Kharkiv, coupled with advances in the south at Kherson, have likely forced Moscow to commit its forces to"emergency defensive actions," the U.K. ministry said. "The Ukrainian success resulted from skillful campaign design and execution that included efforts to maximize the impact of Western weapons systems such as HIMARS," the ISW said in its latest assessment of the war in Ukraine.
"Ukrainian leaders discussed the strikes in the south much more ostentatiously, however, successfully confusing the Russians about their intentions in Kharkiv Oblast [province]."