Zelensky, in a determined tone, said that while Russia might temporarily seize parts of Ukraine, “it is certainly impossible to seize our people, the Ukrainian people.” “The heroes are here,” he said, describing the significance of the blue-and-yellow national flag. “It means the enemy is gone, has run away.” The swift and highly successful counteroffensive that liberated Izyum and towns and villages throughout the Kharkiv region has proved to be both a critical military victory and a psychological triumph, raising national morale, bolstering international support for Ukraine and sparking calls for additional weapons and equipment , with the hopes. of seizing what appears to be a turning point in the nearly seven-month war. Western military and intelligence analysts say Russia’s forces appear severely depleted, largely incapable of offensive operations to regain ground and potentially vulnerable to further attacks. Ukraine’s military, for its part, appears intent on pushing its counterattack to the east and south. “We thank all of you for freeing our state from the enemy — from the terrorists of the Russian Federation and from the traitors who betrayed our state with the accounts of artificial democracies,” Zelensky said, addressing Ukrainian soldiers as he stood in front of the bombed municipal hall city building. “The past few months have been extremely difficult for you. So I ask you: Take care of yourself. you are the most precious thing we have,” he said. The president’s appearance here was one of several trips to the combat zone since February. They drew a contrast between the young Ukrainian leader and the aging Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who calls the war a “special military operation” and has not visited his troops in the field since the war began. Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukraine had recaptured just over 3.0 square miles during attacks in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions. In the hours following the president’s visit Wednesday, the city remained largely silent. Soldiers milled about, directing vehicles over a floating bridge installed to replace one destroyed by Russian troops. Some civilians wandered into the city center, where the majority of buildings were badly damaged by shelling or fire and most shops were looted. Residents described the Russian invaders as giving up without a fight. One resident, Maksym, 29, who spoke on condition that only his first name be used because of fears of reprisals, said Russian forces imposed a curfew in the days before Ukrainian troops retook the town. “During that time, they left,” he said. “They were just getting out of here.” Maksym’s wife Toma, 27, said there was “absolutely” no battle for the city. Russian forces seemed to know they would lose, he said, and chose to leave as nearby towns began to fall to the Ukrainians. Putin, deaf and isolated, pursues war “goals” and refuses to lose Given reports of such an all-out collapse, Putin is under pressure from pro-war hardliners for tougher action. On Wednesday, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a longtime Putin ally, called for martial law and mandatory military mobilization, moves that have so far been blocked by the Kremlin. Putin has distanced himself from such steps because they are likely to prove politically toxic, undermining Russia’s passive public support for the war, particularly in major cities such as Moscow and St. Petersburg, which have seen very few war casualties. Kadyrov also said Russia should use “all kinds of weapons,” implying the use of nuclear or chemical weapons, arguing that Russia is fighting against NATO, not just Ukraine, which is now a common claim by state officials and propagandists . “If it were up to me, I would declare martial law throughout the country and use all kinds of weapons, because today we are at war with the entire NATO bloc,” the Chechen strongman said, adding that he would have mobilized long ago Cairo. “and I used every opportunity to finish off those evil spirits faster.” Meanwhile, Zelensky’s adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also doubled down, saying Ukraine must liberate the entire Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Parts of these areas have been under Moscow’s control since the Kremlin instigated a separatist war in 2014. “Time for the final strike against the Evil Empire,” Podolyak tweeted. Podolyak also called on the West to supply tanks, armored vehicles, multiple launch missile systems, air defense systems and other unmanned aerial vehicles. As the Russian military struggles in Ukraine, Moscow’s finances are under similarly intensifying pressure. Government economic data released on Wednesday showed a dramatic drop in oil and gas revenues in August due to sanctions and lower energy sales in Europe. Russia’s economy has wobbled but not collapsed under Western punitive measures, performing better than expected thanks to high energy prices and aggressive government measures to prop up the ruble and prevent the currency from collapsing. But August revenue data from the finance ministry signaled a longer-term problem, as Moscow gradually loses the market for the most imported energy, Europe, and has to accept lower prices in Asia. The Ukrainian attack thwarted Russia’s plans to annex Kharkiv Russia had cut gas supplies to Europe through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in recent months and finally cut supplies this month, in moves aimed at increasing pressure on Europe and raising fears of a harsh winter as continent is trying to move away from cheap Russian gas. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned Russia during her State of the European Union address on Wednesday for “actively manipulating our energy market.” “They would rather inflate the gas than deliver it,” von der Leyen said. “This market is no longer working,” he added, warning that Europe faces difficult months as a result. Von der Leyen said Russia’s financial sector was “on life support” thanks to sanctions and that its industry was “rupturing”. He also said Western powers had made a historic mistake by ignoring years of warnings about Putin from Poland and the Baltic states. The leaders of those countries, including Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, are again calling on Western allies to quickly send more powerful weapons to Ukraine. Putin insisted on Monday that the West’s “economic blitzkrieg, the attack they were counting on, has failed, which is already obvious to everyone, including them.” Russia has softened the impact of the sanctions through social payments to families and pensioners and support for industry. Ukraine to Germany: Send armored vehicles to keep pressure on Russia But Russia’s heavy industry, including the automotive and manufacturing sectors, has been hit hard by Western bans on the transfer of computer chips and other technology, with many Russian manufacturers heavily dependent on imported parts. After Ukraine’s stunning advance over the weekend in the Kharkiv region, Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials stepped up calls for military aid from the West. They released a proposal on Tuesday for security guarantees from a group of Western countries and called for a decades-long effort involving major arms transfers and industrial investment to bolster Ukraine’s military against Russian aggression. But the Kremlin’s top spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said only Putin and the Russian leadership could give Kyiv real security guarantees. And Peskov said Ukraine’s appeal for security guarantees from Western countries proved it still wants to join NATO. Ukraine’s NATO ambitions were the main reason Putin invoked in threatening military action before the invasion. “Therefore, the main threat to our country remains,” Peskov said.
War in Ukraine: What you need to know
The last: Grain shipments from Ukraine are being accelerated under the agreement reached by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations in July. Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports had sent food prices skyrocketing and raised fears of more famine in the Middle East and Africa. At least 18 ships, including cargoes of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, have departed. The battle: The conflict on the ground continues as Russia uses its heavy artillery advantage to pound Ukrainian forces, which have at times managed to put up stiff resistance. In the south, Ukraine’s hopes rest on the liberation of the Russian-held Kherson region, and eventually Crimea, which Russia seized in 2014. Fears of disaster at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant remain as both sides accuse each other of bombing it. . The weapons: Western arms supplies are helping Ukraine slow Russian advances. US-supplied High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) allow Ukrainian forces to strike further behind Russian lines against Russian artillery. Russia has used a range of weapons against Ukraine, some of which have drawn the attention and concern of analysts. Photos: Washington Post photographers have been on the ground since the start of the war — here are some of their strongest works. How you can help: Here are ways those in the US can help support the Ukrainian people as well as the donations people have made around the world. Read his full coverage Russia-Ukraine crisis. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for updates and exclusive video.
