“Since the beginning of September, 3,000 square kilometers have returned to Ukrainian control,” Valery Zalushny, chief of staff of the Ukrainian army, said in a statement.
“Around Khargi, we started advancing not only in the south and east, but also in the north. We are 50 kilometers from the border,” Zalushni said.
Russia announced on Saturday that it had “withdrawn” its forces from the “Balaglia and Isium regions” to “strengthen” its system around Donetsk, one of the capitals of pro-Russian separatists.
The military offensive launched by Russia on February 24 in Ukraine has already displaced nearly 13 million people — more than six million internally displaced and nearly seven million in neighboring countries — according to the latest UN data, which has sorted this refugee crisis. Worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion was condemned by the generality of the international community, which responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing economic sanctions on Russia in everything from banking to energy and sports.
The UN confirmed that 5,587 civilians had died and 7,890 were injured, stressing that the true number was much higher and would only be known at the end of the conflict.