Russia wants to punish Ukraine as shelling leaves Kharkiv region without electricity
The entire Kharkiv region, including the region’s capital, has again lost power following heavy Russian bombing.
Kharkiv has been hit by multiple attacks after Ukrainian forces inflicted a humiliating defeat on Russia after it launched a counterattack in the region last week, and has since claimed dozens of cities and towns in the northeast.
“I have just received information that the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region have been left without electricity. The backup electric transmission line, which provides the electricity supply for the settlements, has stopped working. Now all efforts they are focused on eliminating the problem. I will report the results later,” Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko told Telegram on Tuesday.
“This is the aftermath of the insidious bombing by the Russians the day before,” the official added.
Firefighters of the State Emergency Service work to put out the fire that broke out after a Russian missile attack on an energy facility in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine. On Sunday evening, the Russian invaders launched 11 cruise missiles against critical civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, attacks that were seen as “revenge” for its recapture of occupied land.
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Russian airstrikes cut off water and electricity supplies to Kharkiv on Monday after key energy infrastructure facilities were hit.
—Holly Elliott
Russian airstrike hits Kharkiv after troops make humiliating retreat
A Russian airstrike hit a public building in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Monday, September 12. After the airstrike, flames broke out in the building and firefighters battled the blaze.
Ukraine launched a counteroffensive that has driven Russian troops from the region, but sporadic Russian airstrikes have continued this week in Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities.
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Risks for Putin’s regime increase after defeats on the battlefield in Ukraine
There have been several reports of pro-Putin commentators appearing on state television questioning the wisdom of continuing the conflict in Ukraine.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime looks more fragile this week after Ukraine’s battlefield victories have even pro-Kremlin voices in Russia questioning the war in Ukraine.
There have been several reports of pro-Putin commentators appearing on state television questioning the wisdom of continuing the conflict in Ukraine, given recent developments and the recapture of land occupied by Russia.
Russia has been open about withdrawing Russian troops from the entire Kharkiv region over Donbas, although Putin’s press secretary said Monday that what Russia calls a “special military operation” will continue.
“Military losses and the humiliation of Russian troops also pose risks to President Vladimir Putin’s regime, as internal criticism of the conduct of the so-called special military operation is mounting from several sides,” said consultancy Teneo in a note Monday evening.
“As a result, Putin faces increasing pressure to respond to increasingly unfavorable dynamics on the front lines, which may include escalating moves or calls to initiate ceasefire talks.”
—Holly Elliott
Ukraine has reclaimed more than 2,300 square miles of territory, Zelenskyy says
Ukraine has retaken more than 6,000 square kilometers (2,300 square miles) of territory occupied by Russia, President Zelenskiy said Monday night.
“From the beginning of September until today, our soldiers have already liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine, in the east and in the south. The movement of our troops continues,” President Zelenskyy said in the his night speech.
Ukrainian flags placed on statues in a square in Balakliya, Kharkiv region, on September 10, 2022.
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Ukraine’s armed forces have made significant progress over the past week in retaking dozens of towns and villages in both northeastern Ukraine, in the Kharkiv region, and around Kherson in the south.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine compared the size of the recovered area with the US state of Delaware.
—Holly Elliott
Zelenskiy urges world leaders to recognize Russia as a terrorist state
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Lviv, Ukraine, on August 18, 2022.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on world leaders to recognize Russia as a terrorist state.
“Yesterday and today, the Russian military hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians found themselves in the dark without electricity. Houses, hospitals, schools, communal infrastructure, Russian missiles hit precisely those objects that they have absolutely nothing to do with the infrastructure of our country’s Armed Forces,” Zelenskyy said in an afternoon address on the Telegram messaging app, according to a translation by NBC News.
“To protect ourselves from this, we must further strengthen our cooperation. Together we can defeat Russian terror. Russia must be recognized as a terrorist state,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy also called for an additional round of European Union sanctions and increased security assistance packages.
— Amanda Macias
White House says it will keep sending weapons to Kyiv, hails progress made by Ukrainian forces
A Ukrainian armored vehicle moves towards the front in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on September 8, 2022.
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The White House welcomed Ukraine’s breakthroughs over the weekend and said the US would continue to provide Kyiv with additional military aid packages.
“As we have said many times, we will not speak for the Ukrainians, we will let Ukraine describe their operations. But it is clear that they are fighting hard to defend their country and take back territory,” the White House press secretary said . Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One.
“We will continue to support their need to succeed on the battlefield which has been our goal, as you all know,” he said, adding that the United States has so far committed $14.5 billion in assistance to the security in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia. war at the end of February.
— Amanda Macias
“Currently we do not see any prospects for negotiations,” the Kremlin says about ending the war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin reviews naval troops as he attends the main naval parade marking Russian Navy Day in St. Petersburg on July 31, 2022.
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Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia sees no opportunity for Ukraine and Russia to negotiate an end to the war.
“Currently we do not see any prospects for negotiations and we continue to affirm the absence of any prerequisites for such negotiations,” Peskov said during a press conference, according to a translation by NBC News.
“The special military operation continues and will continue until all the goals that were initially set are achieved,” he added, without elaborating further.
Peskov’s remarks come as Ukrainian forces retook almost all of the Kharkiv region last week.
— Amanda Macias