OUR Ukrainian army he liberated over 30 communities in his area Kharkivas part of the counter-offensive launched by him against the Russian occupiers, the President of Ukraine said tonight Vladimir Zelensky.

In a video message posted on social media, Zelenskiy said: “Ukrainian armed forces have now liberated and taken control of more than 30 settlements in the Kharkiv region,” close to the border with Russia. “Operations by the Ukrainian army in the wider region are in full swing,” he added.

Yesterday, Thursday, President Zelensky said that the Ukrainian army had recaptured a total of 1,000 square kilometers of territory since the beginning of the month.

Russia “caught hexapin”

Military analysts say the rapid return of territory by Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv has left Russia vulnerable on the front line, and a counteroffensive threatens Moscow’s major supply hub in eastern Ukraine.

The surprise offensive was the most spectacular moment of the war, given that it took place in the Kharkiv region in the northeast, hundreds of kilometers from Kherson in the south, where Ukrainian forces were expected to throw all their strength.

For several months, Moscow controlled about a fifth of Ukrainian territory in the south and east. He reinforced his forces in the south as Kyiv discussed plans for counterattacks in those areas, but Russian forces were left unprotected on other fronts, explained Konrad Muzyka, director of the Rochan military consulting company in Poland.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters, AFP.}