Ukraine Army Liberates 1,000 Square Kilometers Of Its Territory; Russia 'Withdrew' In Balakliia

The Ukrainian army has now successfully liberated some of its territory from the Russians, forcing the latter to abandon their positions on several fronts.

In his daily address Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country's military has liberated over 1,000 square kilometers of its territories from the Russian army since the counteroffensive operation began on Sept. 1. This comes on top of dozens of occupied settlements that the Ukrainian army has now reclaimed.

"Within the ongoing defense operations, our heroes have already liberated dozens of settlements. And today this movement continued, there are new results," Zelensky said in the address. "In total, more than a thousand square kilometers of our territory have been liberated since September 1. I am grateful to everyone who made it happen! I am grateful to the army, intelligence officers, and special services for every Ukrainian flag that has been hoisted these days."

In addition to his daily address, Zelensky also took to Telegram to confirm reports that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had liberated the city of Balakliia in Kharkiv Oblast. He published a video message taken by Ukrainian military personnel from the city, which has a population of about 27,000 people.

"Mr. President, Mr. Commander-In-Chief, the city of Balakliia in the Kharkiv Oblast has been taken under control. The order has been fulfilled. The Russian occupation forces withdrew," a soldier said, adding that the Chief Intelligence Directorate's Kraken unit should be given credit for the successful operation.

Rob Lee, a military analyst, also shared this week what he called a "pessimistic" account of the counteroffensive from a Russian source. In the Telegram post that he shared on Twitter, the Russian source wrote that Moscow's troops are now abandoning their positions in the Kharkiv region that were not well-fortified against attacks. The source also said the Russian troops left behind to defend their position do not have any heavy weaponry to counteract the Ukrainians.

The U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which follows the war in detail, also said Ukrainian forces have recaptured at least 400 square kilometers of territory in the eastern part of Kharkiv Oblast and reclaimed the village of Verbivka.