President Putin, who declared part of Ukraine’s territory as his own, retreated following a counterattack by Ukrainian forces. Some of Putin’s aides have even urged him to use tactical nuclear weapons.
According to the British Guardian, on the 3rd (local time), the Ukrainian army recaptured the major cities of Izium and Lehman on the eastern front that had been occupied by Russian forces, and succeeded in breaking through the Russian defense lines in the southern Kherson province.
Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, said in a daily briefing that “Ukrainian forces have penetrated deep into our defenses with tank units at the fore.”
The Guardian reports that the victory of the Ukrainian forces has put President Putin in jeopardy following he declared the occupied territory of Ukraine as his own.
Currently, the Ukrainian army is said to have advanced to the Kherson ‘Duchani’ area and are fighting. Duchani is a village regarding 30 km south of the existing front line.
Some military experts believe that the supply routes for Russian troops are in danger of being cut off.
As the Russian military was on the defensive, President Putin’s aides and media outlets even mentioned the use of tactical nuclear weapons. “In my personal opinion, more drastic measures should be taken, including the declaration of martial law in the border area and the use of low-power nuclear weapons (tactical nuclear weapons),” said Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Russian Federation’s Chechen Republic.
Reporter Choi Jae-ho, Donga.com cjh1225@donga.com