Ukraine troops fought and won back territory, making the most significant gains since the war began.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his overnight address on Thursday, “In total, more than a thousand square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine have been liberated since the beginning of September.”
According to The Atlantic, Ukraine captured back the occupied territories of Balakliya, Kupyansk and Izium in the past week.
Ukrainians have not been able to contact these places for months, but the troops managed to take them back within hours, per The Atlantic.
What happened over the weekend in Ukraine?
Friday, Sept. 9 — Ukrainian troops retake Izium
- Ukrainian military begin to cut off and isolate the city Izium from Russian troops, “a critical logistical hub for Russian military operations,” per The New York Times.
- What Russia is saying: “We need to be honest, the Ukrainian command has outplayed us here,” Ukrainian pro-Kremlin blogger Yury Podolyaka said.
Saturday, Sept. 10 — Ukraine fights for Kharkiv region
- Ukraine begins retaking the Kharkiv region, per The Washington Post.
Sunday, Sept. 11 — Russia fires missiles fighting back
- The day marks 200 days of war between the two countries.
Ukrainian attacks
- Russians retreat further from the Luhansk region, per CNN.
- In the haste to flee, Russian troops left behind “significant numbers of weapons and munitions,” NPR writes.
Russian attacks
- Russia fights back by knocking out power in northeast Ukraine and attacking infrastructure within the region, according to NPR.
- Russian missile strike hits Kharkiv power and heating plant, killing one employee at the plant, NPR reported.
- Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant “completely shut down in a bid to prevent a radiation disaster as fighting raged nearby,” per NPR.
- The Kremlin launched 11 Russian cruise missiles, and Ukraine shot down nine of the 11, per CNN.
- What Ukraine is saying: “This is a vile and cynical revenge of the Russian aggressor for the successes of our army at the front, in particular in the Kharkiv region,” Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said, per The New York Times.
Monday, Sept. 12 — Ukraine situation is looking up
- More than 40 Ukrainian settlements, 3,000 square kilometers, have been liberated by Ukraine war efforts, according to CNN.
- What Ukraine is saying: “The situation is changing incredibly quickly and there are many, many more such (de-occupied) settlements,” Roman Semenukha, Deputy Head of the Kharkiv region military administration, said, per CNN.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine has recaptured 6,000 square kilometers in September so far, according to CNN.
This month marks the most significant gains the country has experienced since the war began in February.