AFU liberated 2.5 thousand square kilometers in Kharkiv region, - ISW
As of September 9, the Armed Forces of Ukraine won back about 2,500 km in the Kharkiv region during the counteroffensive.
This is stated in the report of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Censor.NET reports.
According to him, the Ukrainian forces are probably clearing the cells of the disorganized Russian troops, which were in the zone of the rapid offensive of the Ukrainian troops on Kupiansk, Izium, and the Oskil River.
Ukrainian forces can destroy Russian positions around Izium if they cut Russian landlines of communication north and south of Izium. On September 9, Ukrainian troops continued their offensive on Kupiansk and Izium and are taking measures to isolate the Russian group of troops in Izium. If the Ukrainians manage to cut the Russian landlines of communication, they will have the opportunity to create a cauldron around Izium and knock down most of the Russian positions in northeastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin is shifting resources to the Kharkiv-Izium line in an attempt to stop the Ukrainian counteroffensive, while at the same time refusing to speak publicly about Ukraine's successes in the Kharkiv region.
The counteroffensive is likely to have prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to convene a September 9 meeting with senior Russian security officials and political figures. Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said that the Kremlin would not comment on "the situation around Balaklia and other events in the special operations zone."
The counteroffensive in the Kherson region continues simultaneously with operations on the Kharkiv-Izium line. Ukrainian forces continue to attack Russian pontoon and ferry crossings in the south daily but maintain strict operational silence, which may give the appearance that Ukrainian forces are not advancing.
