Ukraine: Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of Ukraine, reported "good news" from the front lines in eastern Ukraine, claiming that his army had retaken some towns and villages from Russia in what open source analysts described as a sudden, deep push behind Russian lines.
President Zelensky announced on Wednesday that he had learned that his troops had liberated a number of settlements in the Kharkiv region during a counteroffensive that some Western analysts believed saw Kyiv retake about 400 square kilometres (154 square miles) of land.
From Kharkiv Oblast, we have good news this week. Most likely, each and every one of you has seen news articles about the recent activities of Ukrainian defenders. And I believe that every Ukrainian is proud of their soldiers, Zelensky said.
The Kharkiv region borders Russia, and its capital city, Kharkiv, has been under Russian missile attack for months after Moscow failed to capture it during the initial stages of its invasion on February 24.
Zelensky, while praising two airborne brigades and a mechanised brigade for what he called their bravery, said it was too early to name the recaptured towns and villages, indicating that the situation in the region was still very shaky.
If successful and the gains held, such a thrust would be a big boost for Kyiv, which is eager to prove to its Western backers that it can change the situation on the ground through force and is deserving of ongoing financial and weapon support.
In light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to halt all energy shipments to Europe if Brussels moves forward with a plan to cap the price of Russian gas, there is more pressure on Kyiv to prove this before winter sets in.
As he and other defence ministers met in Germany to talk about how to support Ukraine long-term, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Thursday that President Joe Biden had approved an additional US$675 million in weapons for Ukraine.
Pushing past Russian lines
The Ukrainian military appeared to have made significant progress on Wednesday, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington-based think tank that tracks the conflict day by day.
The ISW reported that on September 7, the Ukrainian forces "likely used tactical surprise to advance at least 20km into Russian-held territory in [the] eastern Kharkiv Oblast [region] recapturing approximately 400 square kilometres of ground."
Even though unverified social media accounts run by Russian military experts suggested Moscow did suffer setbacks and will need to urgently reinforce, Russia has confirmed fighting in the area but has not confirmed any territorial losses.
Oleksiy Arestovych, a presidential adviser for Ukraine, claimed in a video uploaded to YouTube that Ukrainian forces had taken Balakleiia by surprise.
The Russians claim that Balakleiia is surrounded, but in reality, our troops have advanced much farther.
Balakleiia is still in Russian hands, despite fighting taking place north of the town, according to a pro-Russian official from the area named Rodion Miroshnik on Telegram.
Yuri Podolyak, a Ukrainian frequently cited by pro-Russian officials, also claimed that Russian troops were taken by surprise by the Ukrainian advance. However, Reuters was unable to independently verify the battlefield reports.
With a relatively small force, the enemy achieved significant success close to Balakleiia. It appears that Russian forces were expecting this advance elsewhere and were asleep during it, he wrote on Telegram. Everything now appears to depend on how quickly reserves are inserted into the fray. Significant losses have occurred.
Energy conflict
Despite the lack of information, Ukraine has been discussing a significant counteroffensive in the south for several weeks. Russian military analysts in the West think that in its haste to bolster the south, it may have exposed itself in other areas.
As a result of Kiev's warning that it might need to shut down the plant to prevent disaster, there were also reports of intense fighting on Thursday in areas close to the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
In a speech on Wednesday, Putin vowed that Russia would maintain its "special military operation" in Ukraine, which he has described as an effort to foreseeably defend his nation's security against a growing Nato.
Putin responded when asked how the war was going, "We have not lost anything and will not lose anything."
The latest Western move to deny the Kremlin money to fund the war, he also threatened to stop all energy supplies to Europe if Brussels adopted a proposed price cap on Russian gas.
Russia typically provides 30% of the oil and 40% of the gas that Europe imports.
Given that Nord Stream 1, the main pipeline carrying Russian gas into Europe, is currently closed for maintenance, the United States and France claim Moscow is already using energy as a "weapon" to weaken Europe's resistance to its invasion.
Russian gas giant Gazprom reported on Wednesday that deliveries of Russian natural gas to EU nations have decreased by 48% so far this year, with the decline reaching 49% if the UK is taken into account. According to Putin, energy is not a weapon.
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