Ukraine pushes counteroffensive, Biden sees long term

BALAKLIIA, Ukraine, Sept 14 (Reuters) – Ukraine has set its sights on liberating all territory held by invading Russian forces after driving them back in a swift counteroffensive in the northeast, a goal that U.S. President Joe Biden said would be “a long haul” achieves.

Speaking Tuesday night, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said about 8,000 square kilometers (3,100 square miles) have been liberated by Ukrainian forces so far this month, apparently all in the northeastern Kharkiv region.

“Stabilization measures” had been implemented in about half of that area, Zelenskiy said, “and across a liberated area of ​​roughly the same size, stabilization measures are still ongoing.”

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the full extent of battlefield successes claimed by Ukraine. The total area that Zelenskiy mentions is roughly the size of the Greek island of Crete.

Asked if Ukraine has reached a turning point in the six-month war, Biden said it was hard to say.

“Obviously, the Ukrainians have made significant progress. But I think it’s going to be a long tough one.”

The White House, which has provided billions of dollars in weapons and aid, said earlier that the United States was likely to announce a new military aid package to Ukraine in the “coming days.” Russian forces have abandoned defensive positions, particularly in and around Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, a US spokesman said.

Since Moscow abandoned its main bastion in the northeast on Saturday, marking its worst defeat since the early days of the war, Ukrainian troops have recaptured dozens of towns in a stunning shift in battlefield momentum.

Russian forces still control about a fifth of Ukraine in the south and east, but Kiev is now on the offensive in both areas.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych raised the prospect of moving to the eastern province of Luhansk, which along with Donetsk is known as the Donbas, a large industrial region close to the border with Russia.

“There is now an assault on Lyman and there may be an advance on Siversk,” Arestovych said in a video posted on YouTube, referring to two towns. He predicted a battle for the town of Svatovo, where he said the Russians have storage depots.

“And that’s what they fear the most – that we take Lyman and then advance towards Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk. And they would be cut off from Svatovo,” he said.

Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, which is led by Russian proxies, said in a video post that Lyman remains in their hands. completely repulses them.”

SOLDIERS WELCOME

Speaking in the central square of Balakliia, a crucial military supply center taken by Ukrainian forces late last week, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said 150,000 people had been freed from Russian rule in the area.

Ukrainian flags were raised and a large crowd gathered to receive bundles of humanitarian aid. A shopping center had been destroyed, but many buildings remained intact, with shops closed and barricaded.

“The goal is to liberate the Kharkiv region and beyond – all the areas occupied by the Russian Federation,” Malyar said on the road to Balakliia, which is 74 km (46 miles) southeast of Kharkiv.

The road to Balakliia through liberated areas was littered with charred vehicles and destroyed military hardware. Read more

Groups of Ukrainian soldiers smoked, laughed and chatted by the side of the road. A soldier was stretched out on top of a tank as if it were his living room couch.

In the nearby village of Verbivka, emotional but happy residents, many of them of retirement age, told of the terrible lives they led during nearly seven months of Russian occupation.

“It was scary: we tried to walk around less so they would see us less,” said Tetiana Sinovaz.

Nadia Khvostok, 76, described the traumatic occupation and the arrival of Ukrainian troops, saying residents greeted them “with tears in their eyes”.

There were abandoned Russian vehicles, including a military truck with a smashed windshield.

POWER LINES RESTORED

Meanwhile, repair crews have restored the two main power lines that supply the city of Kharkiv and its surroundings, electricity company Ukrenergo said, after Russian shelling caused blackouts.

The Kyiv government fears that Russia will step up attacks on its energy grid as winter approaches and is pleading for anti-aircraft technology from the West to protect the infrastructure. Read more

With Russian forces under pressure, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

Scholz called on Putin to find a diplomatic solution as soon as possible, based on a ceasefire, complete withdrawal of Russian troops and respect for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, a German government spokesman said. Read more

Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syehubov, who came to Verbivka, said authorities were trying to record crimes committed by Russians during their occupation of the area and recover the bodies of the victims.

“We’re asking everyone around us about all the burial sites that can be found,” he said.

Moscow denies that its forces have committed atrocities in areas they control since Putin ordered the February 24 invasion.

Reporting by Tom Balmforth; additional reporting by Anna Voitenko and Reuters agencies; writing by Grant McCool; Editing Lincoln Feast.

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