Ukrainian forces captured about 2,500 square kilometers during the counteroffensive in the direction of Kharkiv until September 9, according to the latest assessment by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), published late on Friday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhnyi said Thursday that Ukrainian forces had liberated more than 1,000 square kilometers between September 1 and 8, a day before Ukrainian forces advanced south of Kupyansk and as far as the Oskil River. Friday.

Ukrainian forces are likely to be clearing “pockets” of disorganized Russian forces, which have found themselves in a rapid counteroffensive in the direction of Kupyansk, Izyum and the Oskil River, given the influx of images of Russian POWs over the past 48 hours.

Ukrainians create a cauldron around the Russians in Izyum

Ukrainian forces can destroy Russian positions around Izyum if they cut the Russian ground lines of communication (GLOC) north and south of Izyum.

On Friday, Ukrainian troops continued their advance to Kupyansk and Izyum and are taking measures to isolate a group of Russian troops from Izyum.

If the Ukrainians succeed in disrupting the Russian GLOTS, they will have the opportunity to create a “cauldron” around Izyum and destroy a significant part of the Russian positions in the north-east of Ukraine.

Moscow is sending reinforcements, Saturday could be a decisive day

The Kremlin is directing military resources to the Kharkiv-Izyum city line in an attempt to halt the Ukrainian advance after Ukrainian forces pulled off a stunning operational surprise.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia and the Kremlin television released images of Russian soldiers who were heading for the fortification of the cities of Kupyansk, Izyum and in general towards the Kharkiv region, but did not recognize Ukraine’s successes in this area.

While Russian military bloggers mostly welcomed reports of reinforcements, some criticized the Kremlin for first taking units from the Kharkiv (city) – Izyum line and then redeploying them to the same location.

Russian troops were redeployed from southern Kharkiv Oblast to reinforce Donetsk Oblast and the Southern Axis to counter the threat of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kherson Oblast and to resume offensive operations west of Donetsk for several weeks.

Some milbloggers also noted that September 10 will be a decisive day if the Russians fail to create reserves and a combat-ready command in time.

The Kremlin does not want to comment

The Kremlin refuses to publicly mention Ukraine’s successes in the Kharkiv region, but the counteroffensive likely prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to convene a meeting with senior Russian political and security officials on Friday.

The Kremlin does not disclose the topic of the Security Council meeting, and the Russian President’s spokesman Dmytro Peskov said that the Kremlin will not discuss “the situation around Balaklia and other events in the special operation zone.”

Peskov referred all questions on this matter to the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

What else is happening in Kherson

At the same time as the Ukrainian operations on the Kharkiv (city) – Izyum line, the counteroffensive of Ukrainian troops in the Kherson region continues with the aim of defeating the Russian troops in the southern direction.

Ukrainian forces continue to strike Russian pontoons and ferry crossings on a daily basis, indicating a long-term commitment to consistently destroy re-emerging Russian GLOCs.

Ukrainian forces maintain strict operational silence in the south of Ukraine, which may create the impression that Ukrainian forces are not advancing.

Ukrainian forces are also likely to operate in several directions in the Kherson region.

Key findings of the Institute for the Study of War

• By September 9, during the counteroffensive in Kharkiv, Ukrainian troops captured about 2.5 thousand square kilometers.
• The Kremlin is sending resources to the region in response to effective Ukrainian operations.
• Ukrainian troops entered the outskirts of Kupyansk on Friday and are advancing towards Izyum from the northwest, north, northeast and southeast, and are likely to cut Russian land lines of communication with Izyum in the coming days.
• It is possible that Ukrainian troops advanced north of Hrushivka in the direction of the Russian logistics center in Veliky Burluk in the northeast of the Kharkiv region.
• Ukrainian troops continue counteroffensive operations in the south of Ukraine, including blocking Russian GLOCs, which negatively affects Russian morale.

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