Zelenskiy says next three months critical as Ukrainian advance continues

The Ukrainian advance into Russian-occupied territory in the northeast of the country continued on Sunday as Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the next three months would be critical in determining the outcome of the war.

In recent days, Ukrainian forces have retaken the key rail hub of Kupiansk and claim to have seized Izium, previously the major base for Russia in Kharkiv province.

“The Russian army in these days is demonstrating the best that it can do — showing its back,” Mr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Saturday.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander-in-chief of Ukrainian forces, said on Sunday that Ukraine had regained control of about 3,000sq km of territory since the beginning of September. “In the Kharkiv direction, we began to advance not only to the south and east, but also to the north. There are 50km to go to the state border [with Russia],” Mr Zaluzhnyi said.

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On Saturday night, Mr Zelenskiy gave the figure as 2,000sq km. The Institute for the Study of War said Ukraine has retaken more territory in five days than Russia had taken since April.

Videos from recently recaptured territory illustrate the scale of the rout, showing military hardware and ammunition left behind by fleeing Russians at their former positions. Ukrainian politicians shared morale-boosting videos of the country’s soldiers raising the national flag in various towns and villages.

The counter-offensive in the northeast of the country came as a surprise to Moscow and most military observers, who had been expecting instead the long-promised Ukrainian advance in the southern Kherson region.

Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, said on Saturday that the Ukrainian assault could hit the Russians “like an avalanche” and predicted further rapid gains. “One line of defence will shake, and it will fall,” he said in televised comments.

Mr Zelenskiy, speaking at a conference in Kyiv over the weekend, said the next three months would be critical for the course of the war and the future of his country.

“Ahead are 90 days that will determine more than 30 years of Ukrainian independence. Ninety days that more than all other years will determine the existence of the EU. The winter will determine our future,” he said.

Ukrainian officials stopped short of confirming they had recaptured Izium, but Mr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak posted a photo of troops on its outskirts and tweeted an emoji of grapes. The city’s name means “raisin”.

Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov told Reuters the gains could pave the way for a further push into Luhansk province, whose capture Russia claimed at the beginning of July.

“If you look at the map, it is logical to assume that the offensive will develop in the direction of Svatove — Starobelsk, and Sievierodonetsk — Lysychansk. These are two promising directions,” he said.

The Russian defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov claimed the Russian retreat was in fact a “regrouping of forces” to strengthen defence lines in the neighbouring Donetsk region. The statement was widely mocked by Ukrainians as well as nationalist Russian bloggers, who have reacted with horror at the Ukrainian gains over the past week. — Guardian