Ukraine makes sizable gains against Russia

Six months after Russia’s invasion, Ukraine has regained a sizable piece of territory after launching a surprise attack on Russian soldiers and forcing them to retreat. 

Ukrainians rejoiced in the streets as Russian soldiers retreated from multiple Ukrainian towns. 

General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s top military commander, claims that the country has retaken more than 3,000 square kilometers back from Russian control. This is roughly the size of Rhode Island. In the defeat, Russia abandoned key supply hubs like Kupyansk and Izyum. 

Though the tide seems to be turning in Ukraine’s favor, the Kremlin has made it clear that they will not back down. Just one day after Ukraine announced that they had pushed back Russian forces, the Kremlin launched a missile strike on a thermal power plant and left Eastern Ukraine in a  “total blackout”. As many as nine million people are without power, water, or heat. 

Though experts are calling the gains a “turning point” in the war. It’s also unclear how the upcoming winter will affect the war and resources. Putin continues to wage an energy war across not only Ukraine but all of Europe.