Volodymyr Zelensky is pleased to see the Russians “flee”. The Ukrainian army recaptured some “2,000 kilometers of territory” in September, the Ukrainian president announced on Saturday, assuring that the Russian army was making the “right choice” by fleeing against the counter-offensive of Ukraine in the North -East and South of the country.
“So far, since the beginning of September, some 2,000 km of territory have been liberated,” Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video posted on Telegram. However, he did not specify whether it was km2.
“The Russian army shows us what it has best: its back”
On Thursday, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Valery Zalouzhny, said his troops had taken over 1,000 km2 of his territory that had been formerly occupied. “In recent days, the Russian army has shown us what it has best: its back. After all, it is a good choice for them to flee,” he said. “There is no place in Ukraine for the occupiers, and there never will be.”
At the beginning of September, the Ukrainian army first announced a counter-offensive in the south, before making a surprise and flash breakthrough this week from the Russian lines in the northeast, in the Kharkiv region.
About 30 localities have been liberated, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday, but others were added to the list on Saturday, with the entry of the Ukrainian army into the city of Kupyansk, a key locality in the hands of the army. Russian for several months. Its takeover by Ukrainian forces could pose a serious problem for Moscow, as the city lies on supply routes to other Russian positions on the frontline. The recapture of another strategic city, Izium, also seemed imminent, the Russian army having announced that it was withdrawing its troops to defend the separatist zone of Donetsk. Moscow had conquered this city after weeks of fighting in the spring.