Ukrainian soldiers have recovered control of the east bank of the River Oskil, which is considered the front line with Russian troops in north-east Ukraine, according to reports.
The Russian army has been nearly expelled from the Kharkiv region, and a regional office has stated that the next target will be neighboring Luhansk.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that preparations were being made for the next offensive.
Meanwhile, Russia was accused of targeting a southern nuclear power station.
Ukrainian nuclear operator Enerhoatom reported that a rocket fell 300 meters (1,000 feet) from nuclear reactors at the country’s second-largest plant in the Mykolayiv region, causing damage to buildings and shutting down a portion of the complex’s hydroelectric power station.
The strike has not been officially authenticated, although Ukrainian military footage has been shared online.
Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear reactor in Ukraine and Europe, has been under repeated attack since it was taken by Russian forces at the beginning of the war, and the United Nations has asked for a safety zone to defend it.
Ukrainian forces have launched counteroffensives in both the south and the northeast, but they have achieved remarkable gains in the northern Kharkiv region this month.
US Vice President Joe Biden told US television network CBS that Ukraine was paying a hefty price, but that Russia was “not as skilled and capable as many had anticipated.”
The leader of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Haidai, posted a video showing a tank across a pontoon bridge and announced that Ukraine now controls the left bank of the Oskil river. “Luhansk area is directly next door. De-occupation is imminent “He asserted.
If Ukrainian forces can maintain a footing on the eastern bank of the Oskil, this will constitute a significant advance. Mr. Haidai stated that the next objective will be the liberation of Lyman, which was captured by Russian forces in May.
Lyman is located southeast of Izyum, where Ukraine has unearthed over 450 people buried in hundreds of graves.
This finding has spurred the Czech Republic, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, to demand an international tribunal to investigate Russia’s invasion.
However, Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that charges of war crimes were “a falsehood, and we will defend the truth in this tale.” According to local authorities, at least 458 citizens were murdered during Russia’s takeover of the Ukrainian town of Bucha, which is located close Kyiv.
President Vladimir Putin stated on Friday that Russian military intentions in eastern Ukraine will not be altered by Ukrainian counteroffensives.
In his weekly address on Sunday night, President Zelensky remarked that recent days may have resembled a pause “However, there will be no calm. There are preparations for the subsequent season… Ukraine must be liberated. The totality of it.”
Monday, the Russian Ministry of Defense posted a video claiming to show attack helicopters killing Ukrainian personnel and equipment.
However, according to the latest estimate from the UK’s defense intelligence, it was “very likely” that Russia lost four combat jets in Ukraine over the preceding 10 days, as its air force took more risks to help ground forces under pressure from Ukrainian advances.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, Russia increasingly relies on “irregular volunteer and proxy armies” rather than conventional military units.
Russia asserts that it is fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine, a claim that is generally discredited, and that it is endangered by NATO’s strong ties with Ukraine.
Since the invasion on February 24, the United Nations has recorded at least 5,718 civilian deaths, 8,199 civilian injuries, and more than seven million Ukrainian refugees in Europe.
Thousands more civilian deaths are estimated to have occurred. There have been tens of thousands of combatants dead or injured.
Russia, a major source of energy, is embroiled in an economic conflict with the West, which imposed sweeping sanctions in reaction to the invasion.
