What You Need to Know about the Kharkiv Counter-offensive

On August 29th, 2022, during the same year in which it was first invaded by Russian Forces, the Ukrainian military launched a surprisingly successful counter-offensive in the northeast of the country. Taking back over forty towns and 2300+ square miles of land. Ukrainian forces have nearly reached the large city of Kharkiv, which is located only 24 miles from the Russian border. 

The counter-offensive seems to be highly approved by the Ukrainian public. Videos from recently liberated villages show Ukrainian soldiers being waved and cheered for as they push Russian forces out of the region. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that "stabilization measures" have been put in place in the recently reclaimed territory. Such measures include reinstating security by identifying remnants of Russian occupation and “detaining collaborators.” As to what exactly qualifies someone as a collaborator, Zelenskyy did not say.

The Russian withdrawal from the region has been shown to be hastily done, with reports surfacing of Russian soldiers leaving stashes of ammunition and weaponry behind while retreating. This hasty retreat is likely a direct result of the quick pace in which Ukrainian forces have conducted their counterattack, with most of the recaptured territory being obtained within only a few weeks. 

The complete media blackout across the region has been slightly alleviated by the Ukrainian liberation, with CNN's Melissa Bell recently traveling nearly to the front lines of the conflict in order to gather information on the situation. However, the area is still highly dangerous for both soldiers and noncombatants, as Bell experienced two close artillery strikes during her report on the conflict. Her report, along with the accounts of many Ukrainian civilians and officials have shown that war crimes have been committed by Russian troops in nearly every reclaimed town.
 During a recent interview about the ongoing conflict, President Zelenskyy emphasized that "silence is important" when discussing the counter-offensive, as he admits that the success of the attack relied on the secrecy and speed in which it was conducted. Ukrainian military officials have been cautious to make assumptions as to how this success may change the tide of the war, but have remained cautiously optimistic, with a certain Ukrainian official named Yuriy Sak sharing his hope that the campaign might prove to be a “starting point” to the eventual end of the war.

By Christopher Eckl