The Ukrainian army recaptured nearly 6,000 km2 of territory controlled by Russian forces during its counter-offensive launched in early September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.
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“Since the beginning of September, our soldiers have already liberated 6,000 km2 of Ukrainian territory in the east and south, and we are still moving forward,” Zelensky said in a video posted on social media.
The president thanked three military units separately, and praised their “bravery” in the operation which resulted, if consolidated, in the largest territorial gains for Ukraine since the withdrawal of Russian forces from the outskirts of Kyiv end of March.
The Ukrainian army first announced a counter-offensive in the south, before making a lightning advance over the past week in the Kharkiv region, bordering Russia in the northeast of the country, forcing soldiers of Moscow to retreat to other positions.
It also claims to have success in the Kherson region (south), occupied by Russia and bordering annexed Crimea, and in the eastern regions under the control of pro-Russian separatists since 2014.