Ukraine reclaims swathes of east in shock offensive to oust Russians
- ‘Astonishing’ speed of Ukraine’s fight back has apparently caught Moscow’s military off guard as it announced a retreat and was ‘regrouping’ its forces
- In a video on Sunday, President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces have reclaimed town of Chkalovske in the counteroffensive
The speed of Ukraine’s fight back against Russia’s invasion has apparently caught Moscow’s military off guard, bringing swathes of territory Russia had controlled for months back into Ukraine’s fold.
The jubilant Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mocked the Russians in a video address late on Saturday, saying that “the Russian army in these days is demonstrating the best that it can do – showing its back”.
On Sunday, he posted a video of Ukrainian soldiers hoisting the national flag over Chkalovske, another town they reclaimed from the Russians in the counteroffensive.
“The great Ukrainian flag has been returned to Chkalovske. And it will be like that everywhere. We will cast out the occupiers from every Ukrainian town and village,” he said.
Ukraine’s military chief, General Valerii Zaluzhnyy, said on Sunday that Ukraine had liberated about 3,000 square kilometres (about 1,160 square miles) since the beginning of September. He noted that Ukrainian troops were now just 50km away from the border with Russia.