For months, the Ukrainian side has been talking about an impending counteroffensive in the south, around Kherson, attacking ammunition depots and command centers behind Russian lines.
Now the Ukrainian forces are advancing instead in the northeast, around the city of Kharkiv.
“Ukrainian forces have captured 1,000 square kilometers of 8-9 setpembers in Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian forces are likely clearing out some disorganized Russian forces caught in this rapid offensive towards Kupyansk and the Oskol River,” writes ISW analyst George Barros on Twitter.
Geolocated images and satellite data show Ukrainian forces south of Kupyansk, and Russian sources say the Ukrainian side has reached the edge of Horochovatska, which lies north of the Russian-occupied town of Izium, according to ISW.
According to more reserved information, it may rather be about 400 square kilometers, according to CNN.
The Ukrainian General Staff claims in an update that the Russian forces in some places fled the battle lines on foot, or on bicycles and in cars taken from the civilian population.
The Ukrainian successes “are eroding confidence in the Russian military regime,” according to the think tank.
“We have to be honest, the Ukrainian leadership has outsmarted us here,” writes pro-Russian Ukrainian blogger Jury Podoljaka, with an audience of one million on Telegram, according to The New York Times.