Ukrainian Soldiers Liberate Two Dozen Towns As Russian Troops Flee

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According to newly available details, Ukrainian military personnel are obtaining continued successes in their ongoing counter-offensive operations targeting Russian troops in the eastern and southern portions of Ukraine, which include the Kharkiv and Kherson regions.

According to Ukrainian Brig. Gen. Oleksiy Gromov, Ukrainian soldiers recently liberated over 700 square kilometers (or about 270 square miles) of territory across the eastern and southern regions. In the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian troops recently pushed up to some 50 kilometers into Russian lines, per the same official. “During defense operations to recapture lost territory in the Kharkiv direction, since the start of the week, Ukraine’s armed forces… have penetrated into enemy’s lines by a depth of up to 50 kilometers,” Gromov said Thursday. Addressing broader operations, he added: “The total amount of territory returned to Ukrainian control in the Kharkiv and Pivdennyi Buh directions stands at over 700 square kilometers.” Pivdennyi Buh is a river in the southern regions of Ukraine.

Gromov cited specific combat drones as particularly useful in the fight. “Enemy infantry and motorized artillery units unprotected by air defense systems become easy prey for our Bayraktars, the quantity of which is always increasing, thanks to our volunteers,” as he explained it. A Thursday update from Ukrainian military leadership also says the country’s troops recently liberated over 20 settlements in the Kharkiv region. A recent report outlined how Ukrainian troops were fighting on a front line of over 100 miles in the south, in addition to their increasing rate of counter-offensive operations against the Russians in the east, and the geographical extent of the Ukrainian defenders’ work could make Russian attempts at pushing back particularly difficult. Russia also continues dealing with equipment and personnel problems. Ukrainian leadership say the rate of Russian troops dying on the battlefield in Ukraine is high — hundreds and hundreds a day — amid some of the country’s latest pushes.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is continuing its robust support for Ukraine amid the country’s fight against Putin’s invasion. Biden’s administration is also supporting security across the portion of Europe in which Ukraine is situated: on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Congress was receiving notification “of our intent to make a further $2.2 billion available in long-term investments under Foreign Military Financing to bolster the security of Ukraine and 17 of its neighbors.”