MOSCOW: Russia claimed to have carried out "massive strikes" along Ukraine's border and accused Ukrainian troops of mistreating civilians in areas they had dramatically withdrawn.

Moscow's response came after it was forced to withdraw troops from large parts of the north-east, particularly the Kharkiv region, as a result of a quick attack to retake Kyiv's territory.

Moscow gave no indication that it was close to agreeing to a negotiated peace, despite regional changes, which marked one of Russia's biggest setbacks as its troops were forced into Kyiv in the first days of the nearly seven-month-long war. was expelled from.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily report on the conflict that "air, rocket and artillery forces are launching massive attacks on units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in all operational directions."

The attacks were carried out with "high precision" on Ukrainian positions near Sloviask and Konstantinovka in the eastern part of the Donetsk region, this continued.

The Ukrainian Army's General Staff reported on Wednesday that in the past 24 hours, Russian forces had struck military and civilian targets with three missile strikes, 33 air strikes and 58 rocket artillery strikes.

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said there were reports of "abusive" treatment of civilians in the Kharkiv region.
According to Dmitry Peskov, people are being tortured, abused and other harsh punishments are being used.

The Russian allegations came after Ukrainian authorities claimed they had discovered four civilian bodies with "signs of torture" in the recently retaken village of Zaliznichne in the east.

Moscow also retaliated against the growing "bias" in UN human rights bodies, after a top UN official condemned Moscow's "intimidation" of Russians opposing its war in Ukraine.

In early September, Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack that appeared to take the Russian military by surprise.
According to photos posted by the Ukrainian military, the Russian army had left equipment and ammunition in the crate.

Journalists saw signs of fierce fighting around the northeastern city of Balaklia, with buildings damaged or destroyed and largely deserted streets.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday night that nearly 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 sq mi) have been liberated by Ukrainian forces so far this month, all of which were reportedly in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

Zelensky said that "stabilization measures" were still being carried out in a free zone that was roughly the same size after half of that area was completed.

According to Ukraine, several locations in the northeast, including the cities of Izium, Kupiansk and Balaklia, have been withdrawn.
According to Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Ganna Malyar, Ukrainian forces have withdrawn more than 300 settlements and areas in the Kharkiv region since 6 September. About 150,000 people live in these areas.

US Vice President Joe Biden responded that it was difficult to predict whether the six-month conflict in Ukraine had reached a turning point.

It is clear that Ukrainians have come a long way. But I expect a long journey.
The White House, which has given Ukraine billions of dollars in support and weapons, has said the US could announce a new military aid package "in the coming days".

According to Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksey Reznikov, the war with the help of Western weapons has moved to a new stage.

Despite this, Kyiv has escalated its requests to the Western Allies to send more advanced weapons to aid in their struggle.

Since spring, we are constantly discussing weapons. "Ukraine's victories on the battlefield are those we share, and I am grateful to allies who have heeded our calls," Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said.

After Kyiv was reported to have shot down a UAV on Tuesday, Britain's defense intelligence said on Wednesday that Russia probably used Iran-made unmanned aerial vehicles in Ukraine for the first time.

It said in a regular update that "Russia is almost certainly sourcing weapons from other heavily sanctioned states such as Iran and North Korea as its own stocks are depleted."

On top of the setbacks in Ukraine, Russian officials are also facing difficulties in other former Soviet republics.

The deadliest fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia since a war in 2020 has killed nearly 100 people this week, prompting Putin to call for peace.

According to Russian news agencies citing the Kyrgyz Border Service, the shooting began on Wednesday among guards stationed on the Tajikistan-Kyrgyz border.

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