Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday said his country has reclaimed 6,000 square kilometers of occupied territory from Russia in recent weeks as its troops push forward with a counteroffensive.
“From the beginning of September until today, our warriors have already liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine – in the east and south,” he said in an address to Ukrainians. “The movement of our troops continues.”
More than half a year into the war, Ukraine has been ramping up a counteroffensive and officials now report Russian troops have been forced to retreat in a number of settlements, and have been pushed to the border in some places.
Ukraine’s moves has been seen by many as a turning point in the conflict.
The Russians appeared to be caught off-guard by Ukraine’s intensified advance. One ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin called the troops’ retreat “astounding.”
Russian strikes on Sunday targeted infrastructure and caused power outages in Ukraine, and Moscow continued its assaults Tuesday as Ukraine works to hold its reclaimed territory and put pressure on the retreating troops.
Ukrainian troops “are continuing to make impactful gains” and “steadily degrading the morale and combat capabilities of Russian forces,” according to an update released Monday by the Institute for the Study of War.
In his address, Zelensky also called out Russia for “energy terror,” “hunger terror” and “radiation terror at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.”
……..
- Discussion
-
Zelensky: Ukraine has retaken 6,000 square kilometers from Russian forces https://t.co/GvDYkmF3oa pic.twitter.com/DN8tgCJxqM
— The Hill (@thehill) September 13, 2022
"Do you still think you can scare is, break us, force us to make concessions? Don't you really get it?" https://t.co/m23lrqtsQn
— Anne Applebaum (@anneapplebaum) September 11, 2022
It all sounds good — and I pray to God it’s for real — but in the back of my pea-sized, suspicious brain, I keep wondering if these victories and the pullback of Russian forces mean the Russians are plotting something a lot worse. My primary concern is the nuclear power plant. Does Russia intend to bomb the plant, dispersing radiation to a large part of Ukraine, destroying it and killing untold thousands?
I have heard though that if Russia does bomb the plant, the radiation could also spread to Russia, killing many. But Putin is crazy enough to do something like this. he wouldn’t care if Russians died aa well. Collateral damage.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.