September 22, 2022
image source,Getty Images
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Ukrainian forces have made significant progress in a swift counter-offensive in recent days and recaptured the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.
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However, Russian troops still control about a fifth of Ukraine.
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What changes have taken place in the Russian-Ukrainian war?
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, besieging the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. Russia has also launched attacks in southern, eastern and northern Ukraine.
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In early April, Ukrainian forces recaptured large areas around Kiev after Russia abandoned its offensive on Kiev.
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Since then, Russia has concentrated its military operations in the southern, eastern and northeastern parts of Ukraine, capturing a large amount of Ukrainian territory.
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However, in early September, the situation changed dramatically.
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With a decisive counter-offensive in the north-east, Ukraine pushed back the Russian troops. Ukraine claims to have reclaimed 3,000 square kilometers of land around the city of Kharkiv alone.
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Ukrainian forces also recaptured Luhansk territory in eastern Ukraine. The Luhansk region has been completely occupied by Russia since July.
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Ukraine said it took over 8,000 square kilometers of Russian-controlled territory in September. This is the most significant achievement that Ukraine has achieved in reconquering the territory since the beginning of the war.
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Ukraine says the cities of Izyum and Kupyansk, which were recaptured on September 10, are both important supply hubs for the Russian military. Hence, this marks a great strategic success.
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Ukrainian troops also launched a counterattack in the southern Kherson region.
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The Institute for War Studies (ISW) said Ukrainian forces suffered “significant operational defeats” by Russian forces.
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Justin Bronk of the Royal United Service Institute for Defense and Security said Russian positions in Kharkiv were hit by “total collapse”.
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He said Russia’s withdrawal was “the most dramatic reversal we have seen since Russia withdrew from Kiev in April”.
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How does Russia respond?
Russia confirmed that the troops were withdrawing from Izyum and Kubiansk, but said it was a strategic retreat to “reorganize”.
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Russia also said it will continue to carry out military strikes in these areas.
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But it appears that Russian troops dropped a lot of equipment and ammunition during the retreat.
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How much Ukrainian territory does Russia still occupy?
Russia still occupies about 20 percent of Ukraine’s land, according to the ISW Institute for War Research.
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These areas are mainly found in the Donbas region in the east and in the southern part of mainland Ukraine, as well as in the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.
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After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, pro-Russian forces occupied more than a third of the region and established two so-called people’s republics in Donbass, a predominantly Russian-speaking region.
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image source,Getty Images
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The western region of Ukraine, including Lviv, was hit by Russian missiles, but Russian troops had no intention of occupying it.
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What does Russia want?
Russia refused to recognize the invasion of Ukraine as a war, saying only that it was conducting “special military operations” in Ukraine.
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The Kremlin said that the military operation will continue “until all the objectives initially set have been achieved”.
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When he launched the invasion in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his goal was to “demilitarize Ukraine”.
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One of the goals is to ensure that Ukraine does not join the Western military defense alliance, NATO.
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Russia’s initial goal was to conquer Ukraine and overthrow the current government. However, it now appears to have limited its focus to the security of the occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine.
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What does Ukraine want?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his main goal was to drive out all Russian troops and “recover all territory”.
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Zelensky called on countries to provide more money and equipment to keep the areas recaptured by Russia.
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Ukraine used a lot of weapons and equipment sent by Western countries in the war against Russia.
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image source,Getty Images
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Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a recent summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He revealed that China has “concerns and questions” about Russian military action in Ukraine, but it is not known whether he has allayed China’s concerns.
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How much did Russian and Ukrainian personnel lose?
Both Russia and Ukraine suffered losses during the war, but neither have released exact figures.
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Ukraine, which claims to have wiped out 50,000 Russian troops, said in late August that it had also lost nearly 9,000 troops since the conflict began.
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Russia rarely reveals the victims of the troops. Its last public death toll was in March, when 1,351 Russian soldiers were said to have died since the invasion began.
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In July, US officials estimated that around 15,000 Russian soldiers were killed.
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Civilians also died. In early September, the United Nations confirmed over 5,700 deaths.
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However, the United Nations said the actual figure could be much higher.
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