Russian airstrike hits Kharkiv after troops make humiliating retreat
A Russian airstrike hit a public building in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday, Sept. 12. After the airstrike, flames broke out in the building, and firefighters tackled the fire.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive that has driven Russian troops from the region, but sporadic Russian airstrikes have continued this week in Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities.
Source: Metin Aktas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Risks to Putin’s regime rise after defeats on the battlefield in Ukraine
There have been various reports of pro-Putin commentators appearing on state-run TV channels on which they have questioned the wisdom of continuing the conflict in Ukraine.
Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime is looking more fragile this week after Ukrainian victories on the battlefield have prompted even pro-Kremlin voices in Russia to question the war in Ukraine.
There have been various reports of pro-Putin commentators appearing on state-run TV channels on which they have questioned the wisdom of continuing the conflict in Ukraine, given the latest advances and recapturing of Russian-occupied land.
Russia has been tight-lipped about the retreat of Russian troops from the entire Kharkiv region above Donbas, although Putin’s press secretary said on Monday that what Russia calls the “special military operation” would continue.
“Military losses and the humiliation of Russian troops also pose risks to President Vladimir Putin’s regime, as domestic criticism of the conduct of the so-called special military operation is mounting from various sides,” Teneo consulting firm said in a note Monday evening.
“As a result, Putin faces growing pressure to respond to increasingly unfavorable dynamics on the frontline, which might include either escalatory moves or calls to start ceasefire talks.”
— Holly Ellyatt
Ukraine has recaptured more than 2,300 square miles of territory, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine has recaptured more than 6,000 square kilometers (2,300 sq miles) of Russian-occupied territory, President Zelenskyy said Monday night.
“From the beginning of September until today, our soldiers have already liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine – in the east and in the south. The movement of our troops continues,” President Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.
Ukrainian flags placed on statues in a square in Balakliya, Kharkiv region, on Sept. 10 , 2022.
Juan Barreto | AFP | Getty Images
Ukraine’s armed forces have made great strides over the past week in reclaiming dozens of towns and villages in both northeast Ukraine, in the Kharkiv region, as well as around Kherson in the south.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry likened the size of the area recaptured to the U.S. state of Delaware.
— Holly Ellyatt
Zelenskyy urges world leaders to recognize Russia as a terrorist state
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv, Ukraine on August 18, 2022.
Emin Sansar | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on world leaders to recognize Russia as a terrorist state.
“Yesterday and today, the Russian army struck the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians found themselves in the dark without electricity. Houses, hospitals, schools, communal infrastructure, Russian missiles hit precisely those objects that have absolutely nothing to do with the infrastructure of the Armed Forces of our country,” Zelenskyy said in an evening address on the Telegram messaging app, according to an NBC News translation.
“To protect against this, we must further strengthen our cooperation. Together we can overcome Russian terror. Russia must be recognized as a terrorist state,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy also called for an additional round of European Union sanctions and an increase in security assistance packages.
— Amanda Macias
White House says it will continue to send weapons to Kyiv, hails advances made by Ukrainian forces
A Ukrainian armored vehicle advances toward the front in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on September 8, 2022.
Metin Atkas | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images
The White House welcomed Ukraine’s lightning advances made over the weekend and said the U.S. would continue to provide Kyiv with additional military aid packages.
“As we have said many times we’re not going to speak for Ukrainians we’ll leave it to Ukraine to describe their operations. But it’s clear, they are fighting hard to defend their country and take back territory,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One.
“We’re going to continue to support their need to succeed on the battlefield that has been our goal as you all know,” she said, adding that the U.S. has so far committed $14.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s war in late February.
— Amanda Macias
‘We do not currently see any negotiation prospects,’ Kremlin says on ending war in Ukraine
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin reviewing naval troops as he attends the main naval parade marking the Russian Navy Day, in St. Petersburg on July 31, 2022.
Olga Maltseva | AFP | Getty Images
The Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia does not see an opportunity for Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to the war.
“We do not currently see any negotiation prospects and continue to state the absence of any prerequisites for such negotiations,” Peskov said during a press briefing, according to an NBC News translation.
“The special military operation continues and will continue until all the goals that were originally set are achieved,” he added, without elaborating further.
Peskov’s remarks come as Ukrainian forces recaptured almost all of the Kharkiv region in the past week.
— Amanda Macias