Kharkiv Counteroffensive
Eastern Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2022
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Invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022 will occur in parts of the eastern and northeastern theatres.
A counteroffensive map
6 September 2022 to the present (3 months, 1 week and 1 day)
Location: Ukraine's Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Luhansk Oblasts
Result \sOngoing
Phase I: September 6–12, 2022 (Ukrainian victory)
[1]
[2]
[3]
The military-civilian government of Russia has collapsed in Kharkiv Oblast[4].
Izium, Balakliia, Shevchenkove, Kupiansk, and more than 20 more settlements in Kharkiv Oblast are retaken by Ukraine.
[7]
Russian armed forces proclaim their departure from Kharkiv Oblast and arrival on the Oskil River's eastern bank.
In Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine recaptures Sviatohirsk.
[8]
Battles for Lyman (Donetsk Oblast) and Lysychansk have resumed (Luhansk Oblast)
Second phase: as of now, September 13, 2022
Ukraine builds five bridgeheads on the Oskil River's left (east) bank[9].
On September 21, Russia declares a partial mobilization[10].
On October 1st, Ukraine captures Lyman again.
Combatants Ukraine
Russia
Ukraine MCA (until 3 October)
DR Donetsk
casecasecase daycasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecasecase Alexis Syrskyi [11] Russia Berdnikov, Roman [12] \sRussia лександр Lapin (from c. 11 September) [13]
Artem Helemendik from Russia (POW per Ukrainian claim)
[14]
Unknown senior officer (POW) from Russia[15]
[16]
Russian claim with more force
8 times more powerful than Russian military forces
[17]
Unknown Casualties and losses
Unknown Heavy vte 2022 invasion of Ukraine by Russia
The Armed Forces of Ukraine started the 2022 Ukrainian Eastern Counteroffensive on September 6, 2022, in Kharkiv Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, and Luhansk Oblast, which are currently under Russian occupation.
[18] Early in September, Ukrainian forces launched a second counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast, in the east of the country, following the start of the Ukrainian southern counteroffensive in Kherson in late August. [19]
In the Kharkiv region, Ukraine had reclaimed more than 500 communities and 12,000 square kilometres of land as of October 17th, 2022.
[20][21]
Contents
1 Background \s2 Counteroffensive
2.1 Prelude
2.2 Initial stage: (6–12 September 2022)
2.2.1 Initial push
2.2.2 Breakthrough
2.2.3 The departure of the Russians from Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River
2.2.4 Extra benefits
2.3 Subsequent stage: (since 13 September 2022)
2.3.1 Advance of Oskil River
2.3.2 Lyman's encirclement and release
3 Reactions
3.1 Within Russia
3.2 Worldwide
4 Consequences of the initial phase
4.1 Torture evidence and mass graves
4.2.1 Military awards
Impact on Russian referendums (4.3)
5
as well
6 References
Background
Primary Articles campaigns in Eastern Ukraine and Northeastern Ukraine
Additional details: First Battle of Lyman, Battle of Kharkiv (2022), Battle of Izium (2022), and Russian capture of Kharkiv Oblast
Russian offensives in the opening months of its invasion of Ukraine left substantial parts of the Kharkiv Oblast under Russian control, including the vital logistical centres of Izium and Kupiansk.
[22]
[23] The majority of Kharkiv Oblast remained inside Ukrainian hands, however, including the city of Kharkiv, where the Russian forces regularly shelled with rocket, artillery, and cluster munition until August. [24]
Russian advances were repelled by Ukrainian forces as they launched counteroffensives in March and May to drive the Russians out of Kharkiv.
[26]
[27] According to Amnesty International, the Russian bombing of Kharkiv resulted in 606 civilian deaths and 1,248 injuries by June 6th. [28]
Over the following few months, the front lines in the broader Kharkiv Oblast mostly stayed unchanged because Ukrainian and Western military analysts thought Russia lacked the ground forces to relaunch its invasion. By August, the death toll in Kharkiv had surpassed 1,000. [29]
Oleksandr Syrskyi, who had been in charge of Kyiv's defence during the start of the invasion and had since been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine for his service, had been chosen by September 2022 to take over leadership of the Ukrainian military troops in Kharkiv Oblast. He was in charge of the counteroffensive, and Syrskyi is regarded as having designed it. [30]
Counteroffensive \sPrelude
Russia redeployed thousands of troops, including elite units like the 1st Guards Tank Army, to Kherson Oblast in response to weeks of Ukrainian propaganda about a counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, leaving its remaining troops to man a "stretched and tired Russian front that spanned about 1,300km — roughly the distance from London to Prague."
[31][32][33][34][35]
In the weeks before the eastern counteroffensive, Ukrainian forces were able to launch attacks on Russian facilities and equipment stores as far back as Kupiansk and Kivsharivka, 70 kilometres behind Russian lines, thanks to the introduction of HIMARS guided rocket artillery supplied by the US. These attacks significantly undermined the Russian military and people. [31]
Ukraine said on August 29 that an operation would soon begin in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine. Soon after, Ukrainian forces launched an attack, and Russia's focus turned to its Kherson line. The Kherson offensive might be real, but Western observers believe it to be a pretext to pull Russian soldiers away from Kharkiv before Ukraine launches its much more significant eastern counteroffensive. In any case, the days leading up to September 6 saw underprepared and underpowered Russian soldiers in Kharkiv. [36] [37][13]
Due to security concerns, Russian officials postponed annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine on September 5, 2022.
[35]
Phase one: (6–12 September 2022)
Additional details: Battle of Kupiansk, Battle of Balakliia, and Battle of Shevchenkove
initial progress
Ukrainian forces launched a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region on September 6, 2022, surprising Russian soldiers[38].
[19]
[39]
[40] Taras Berezovets, a spokesman for the Ukrainian special forces, claimed in an interview with the Guardian on September 10 that Russia "[paraphrase] : [counter] : The onslaught then took place where they least expected it to, not in the south, which sent them into a panic and into flight." [37]
During the first two days, Ukrainian troops retook 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi) of territory and advanced at least 20 kilometres (12 mi) into Russian-held territory.
[41]
By September 9, Ukraine had crossed over the Russian border, according to the Ukrainian military, which claimed to have made an advance of around 50 kilometres (31 mi) and retaken more than 1,000 square kilometres (390 sq mi) of land.
The largest Russian logistical station in the area, Izium, is located around 44 kilometres (27 mi) to the northwest of them. [42] This breakthrough put them at a rate of advancement that had not been witnessed much since Russia retreated from Kyiv at the beginning of the conflict.
The Washington Post referred to the conquest of Izium on September 10 as a "shocking rout"; the Institute for the Study of War estimated that Ukrainian forces had taken control of almost 2,500 square kilometres (970 sq mi) during the advance.
[45]
It was the first time since World War II when whole Russian units had perished in a single engagement, according to a military analyst.
[23]
Breakthrough
On September 8, the Ukrainian flag was raised in Balakliia.
Soldiers from the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine, who had their paint job changed from Russian to Ukrainian, can be seen at the Shevchenkove entry sign.
Russian forces were forced to retreat to the left bank of the Donets and Serednya Balakliika rivers on September 6 after Ukrainian troops launched a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv Oblast after concentrating their forces north of Balakliia at Pryshyb, a small village located about 15 km to the northwest of Balakliia. In addition to tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and soldiers from the 92nd Mechanized Brigade, the Ukrainian forces involved also include special operations elements. [31]
The same day, Ukrainian forces took Verbivka [uk], which is located less than 3 km northwest of Balakliia and roughly 8 km east of Pryshyb. According to several Russian sources, in order to stop further Ukrainian advances, Russian forces destroyed unnamed bridges on the eastern outskirts of Balakliia. [33]
Then, Ukrainian forces launched an offensive in the areas of Balakliia, Volokhiv Yar, Shevchenkove, Kupiansk, and the east of Balakliia districts of Savyntsi and Kunye. While Ukrainian reports said that the forces in this area were professional Russian soldiers and not Donbas conscripts, Russian sources on this line of contact claimed that Ukrainians were opposed in some places of the line by lightly equipped DPR Militia[18]. [37]
The following day, Ukrainian forces reached positions northeast of Izium after making an advance of around 20 kilometres (12 mi) into Russian-occupied territory and recapturing over 400 square kilometres (150 sq mi). According to Russian reports, this victory was probably brought about by the Russian forces moving to Kherson in reaction to the Ukrainian onslaught there. [46]
By September 8, Ukrainian forces had penetrated Russian defences north of Izium a distance of 50 kilometres (31 mi). Although Ukraine did not take control of the city until the 10th of September, SOBR units of the Russian National Guard forces lost control of Balakliia, which is located about 44 kilometres northwest of Izium. [47] In close proximity to the city, Ukrainian forces retook control of the Central Rocket and Artillery Directorate's largest munitions storage facility. [18] Additionally, Ukrainian soldiers took back control of more than 20 communities. [48] A senior Russian officer was taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces on the Kharkiv front, according to Ukrainian media on the same day. General, based on what we know of the Russian, we may say that [15] [16]
The inhabitants of Izium, Kupiansk, and Velykyi Burluk was ordered to be evacuated into Russia on September 9 by the government that was backed by Russia.
[49] Later, locals claimed that before Ukrainian troops arrived, Russian soldiers in the region started to escape communities while still carrying their weapons. [50] Later on in the day, Ukrainian forces arrived in Kupiansk, a crucial crossroads where multiple major rail lines that supply Russian troops at the front converge. [51] According to the Institute for the Study of War, Kupiansk is expected to fall within the next 72 hours. [52] Russian reserve units were dispatched as reinforcements to Kupiansk and Izium in reaction to the Ukrainian offensive. [53]
On September 10, Ukrainian soldiers reportedly recaptured Kupiansk and Izium and were moving toward Lyman.
[54]
[55] Photos of soldiers saluting the Ukrainian flag outside Kupiansk City Hall were shared on Facebook by Natalia Popova, the head of Kharkiv Regional Council. [56] Police and security personnel from Ukraine entered the retaken settlements to verify the IDs of residents who had remained under Russian rule. [57] Later that day, Serhiy Haidai, the governor of the Luhansk Oblast, said that Ukrainian partisans had apparently taken some of Kreminna while Ukrainian army had moved into the Lysychansk suburbs. Russian forces had left the city, according to Haidai, leaving Kreminna "practically vacant." [58] [59]
The collapse of the strategically significant city of Izium in eastern Ukraine, according to the New York Times, "is the most catastrophic blow to Russia since its humiliating retreat from Kyiv."
[60] In response to these events, Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, asserted that Russian forces in the Balakliia and Izium region will "regroup" in the Donetsk region "in order to achieve the stated aims of the special military operation to liberate Donbas." Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, said "The Russian army is currently giving the best demonstration it can by turning around. And it makes sense that they would choose to run." [39] He asserted that since the start of the counteroffensive, Ukraine has reclaimed 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi). [61]
According to a Newsweek article from the 11th of September, Ukrainian forces had "retaken more than 3,000 square kilometres of terrain since September 6" and had "penetrated Russian defences to a depth of up to 70 kilometres in some spots."
[62] According to reports from objectiv.tv, citizens in Kozacha Lopan had raised the Ukrainian flag in front of the town hall and Russian military had left the area. [63] Russian soldiers had really evacuated Kozacha Lopan, Vovchansk[4], and other border towns, according to a map that was shown during the Russian Ministry of Defense's briefing that same day. [64] Velykyi Burluk was also retaken by Ukrainian forces. [62]
The Financial Times released an article on September 28 that featured numerous interactive visuals and presented a detailed explanation of the factors that led to Ukraine's quick counteroffensive against Kupiansk. It claimed that one of the factors that allowed Ukraine to defeat Russian soldiers in just six days over a distance of 90 km (approximately the distance between London and Cambridge) and reclaim more than 2,500 km2 of land was the western supply of HIMARS. [31]
departure of Russian forces from Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River
Buildings in the freed Izium are displayed by Ukrainian troops on September 17, 2022.
On September 11, in the late afternoon, the Russian Ministry of Defense officially declared the withdrawal of Russian forces from almost the whole Kharkiv Oblast. An "effort to limit and transfer troops" was declared by the government. [65] [66] At 20:06 on that day, Russian Kalibr cruise missiles destroyed vital Ukrainian infrastructure, including Kharkiv TEC-5, knocking out power in the oblasts of Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and sections of Odesa. [67] [68] Russian defences and Ukrainian assault continued to engage in combat at Lyman. [13]
According to a statement provided by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, on September 12, the Ukrainian Defense Forces expelled Russian soldiers from more than 20 settlements, with Velykyi Burluk and Dvorichna standing out.
[69] Ukrainian soldiers outnumbered Russian forces "8 times," according to Vitaly Ganchev, the chairman of the Russian Kharkiv occupying authority, who made the revelation on Russian official television Russia-24. After almost 5,000 inhabitants were "evacuated" to Russia, the border with the Russian Belgorod Oblast has been blocked. [70]
By September 13, Ukraine had fully retaken Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River, according to reports in the media that Ukrainian forces had penetrated Vovchansk.
[71]
Other benefits
Serhiy Haidai, the governor of Luhansk Oblast, asserted that the majority of Russian forces had left Starobilsk early on September 11. He stated in the same message that Russian occupational authorities were also emigrating from regions that Russia has ruled since 2014[59][72][73], however there was no concrete proof to support this assertion.
On September 12, Ukrainian forces liberated Sviatohirsk, which Russian forces had taken control of in June 2022, and moved closer to the line dividing Kharkiv and Donetsk Oblasts. They also liberated Lyman, a vital railway town in Donetsk Oblast that Russian forces had taken control of in late May 2022 after a bloody battle.
[74]
Russian troops reportedly withdrew from Svatove on September 12, according to reports that first surfaced in the Luhansk Oblast. On September 14, however, Russian troops arrived back in Svatove.
[75]
According to President Zelenskyy, Ukrainian forces had retaken 6,000 km2 from Russia in total, including both the south and the east, as of September 12.
[76] He asserted that the Ukrainian force had retaken 8,000 km2 of Russian land on September 13 during his nightly address. [77]
Oryx said that in the five days leading up to September 11, Russia had lost at least 338 pieces of military equipment. Fighter jets, tanks, and vehicles that had been damaged, captured, or destroyed also fell under this category. [78]
a second stage (since 13 September 2022)
23 September 2022: Ukrainian military destroying separatists' weapons in Donetsk
Russian soldiers that died during the withdrawal from Lyman on October 1, 2022
Oskil River advance
Although Russia intended to maintain the front line along the Oskil River, Ukrainian soldiers had already crossed the river at a number of points as early as September 13. Ukrainian forces established a bridgehead near Borova about September 13 by crossing the river there. [79] At least five bridgeheads had been built by Ukraine on the east bank of the Oskil River by September 24–25. [9]
Ukrainian, Paraguayan, and other sources of September. The same day, Russian forces were forced to leave Studenok, a village in Kharkiv Oblast, and move southeast to Izium to avoid being encircled by Ukrainian forces, who also regained Sosnove in Donetsk Oblast. [80]
On September 16, Ukrainian forces took control of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, which is located across from Kupiansk on the east bank of the Oskil River, and the eastern part of Kupiansk,[81] establishing a new bridgehead across the river. This puts Russian operations across the rest of the Donbas in danger by endangering Russian supply lines in northern Luhansk Oblast. [82]
The Ukrainian military claimed to have crossed to and taken control of the east side of the Oskil River by September 18th.
[83]
Video evidence showed that Ukrainian forces had freed the settlement of Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast on September 19, indicating that Russia no longer had complete authority over the area.
[84]
"Ukrainian forces have captured land east of Dvorichna and are battling in Tavilzhanka, which is apparently still contested area," ISW said on September 22. According to sources, on September 15, when Ukraine erected artillery positions there, Hrianykivka, a village to the west of Tavilzhanka, was liberated by Ukrainian forces. In other words, it is "consistent with earlier reporting on ongoing Ukrainian efforts to breach the present Russian defensive lines that run along the Oskil River and push eastward." [85]
According to Oleksii Hromov, the UAF's deputy chief of the operations directorate of the general staff, the settlement of Yatskivka in Donetsk Oblast was freed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on September 23.
[86]
On September 24, Ukrainian forces captured Horobivka, a community located on the east bank of the Oskil River and east of Hrianykivka. Additionally, Petropavlivka, located 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) east of Kupiansk and close to Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi, both on the east bank of the Oskil River, was freed by Ukrainian forces. [87] By September 24, Ukrainian forces had freed two more towns: Kucherivka and Podoly, which were both located between Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi and Petropavlivka. [88]
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, standing close to the front line in the Kharkiv Oblast
During the Second Battle of Lyman on September 25, Ukrainian forces most likely took control of Maliivka, a town north of the Kharkiv-Donetsk border and east to Pisky-Radkivskyi.
[89] The majority of Kupiansk District had been successfully retaken by Ukraine by September 26.
Pisky-Radkivskyi was freed on September 26 by Ukrainian forces moving north from Donetsk Oblast. The community is situated in Kharkiv Oblast on the east bank of the Oskil River, 35 km (22 mi) northwest of Lyman and immediately south of Borova. [88]
On September 27, it was announced that Ukrainian forces had entered the towns of Lidkodub and Korovyi Yar, making little but steady progress east of the Oskil River.
[90]
According to certain Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian authorities reclaimed control of the Kharkiv Oblast communities of Nyzhe Zolone, Pidlyman, Nyznya Zhuravka, Borova, and Shyikivka on October 3.
[91]
[92] Additionally, according to Ukrainian officials, the Kreminna-Svatove Highway had been retaken by Ukrainian forces; however, the ISW disputes this and continues to view the highway as Russian-controlled as of 4 October. [93] [94]
On October 9, Ukraine announced that it had retaken seven more villages in the Svatove Raion, including Novoliubivka, Nevske, Grekivka, Novoyehorivka (included in the Krasnorichenske community hromada), Nadiya, and Andriivka (located in the Kolomyichykha settlement hromada).
[95]
The liberation of four settlements—Nevske, Miasozharivka, Karmazynivka, in Luhansk Oblast, and Novosadove, in Donetsk Oblast—was proclaimed by the general staff of the Ukrainian armed forces on October 24.
[96] The Kreminna-Svatove Highway was also taken under their hands, according to the Washington Post. [97]
Lyman's encirclement and release
Second Battle of Lyman, in brief
During the Russian army's departure from Izium, Russian tanks were left behind.
Due to the "lightning counteroffensive" the Ukraine launched throughout September, Russian forces withdrew to Lyman, a significant city in the Donetsk Oblast with vital Russian supply lines. "Lyman's operational importance was due to its command over a road crossing the Siverskyi Donets River, behind which Russia has been trying to consolidate its defences," the British Ministry of Defense stated. [98] The crucial Ukrainian cities of Bakhmut and Lyman, which were both then under Ukrainian control, and occupied by Russia, respectively, were in a standoff on September 26, according to the New York Times. Lyman was expected to be the decisive fight in the eastern theatre of the war since both troops would likely be slowed down by the impending winter. [99]
On September 28, Ukrainian forces entered Novoselivka, a crucial crossing point on the left bank of the Oskil River in the Donetsk area, roughly 12 kilometres northwest of Lyman.
[100]
An important settlement called Yampil, located 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) southeast of Lyman, was freed on September 30 by Ukrainian forces. "The Armed Forces of Ukraine succeeded to break through the defensive commands of the RF (Russian Federation) Armed Forces and force the Russian troops to retire to the city (Lyman)," according to a pro-Russian messaging channel. [101] [102] Zelenskyy also stated that Drobysheve, which is located 6.2 miles (10 kilometres) northwest of Lyman, had been taken by Ukrainian forces. [103]
On October 1, there was video evidence of Ukrainian soldiers hoisting the Ukrainian flag at a Lyman entrance, and the city was apparently surrounded by up to 5,000 Russian soldiers.
[104]
[105] According to Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for the eastern Ukrainian troops, Ukrainian forces have successfully encircled Russian soldiers in the city. The combat in Lyman "was a terrible rout," according to The Guardian, as Ukrainian soldiers marched into the city. Russian troops fled in a disorderly fashion because Russian officers had rebuffed down requests to surrender. Locals claim that of the 27,000 people who called Lyman home before the war, only a few hundred survived after the city suffered severe devastation during the Russian occupation. [106] Later that afternoon, the loss of Lyman was acknowledged by Russian authorities. [107] [108] Despite the fact that there are no precise numbers of fighting deaths, Associated Press reporters said that at least 18 Russian remains were still lying around on 3 October. [109]
The achievements occurred a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the Donbas and other seized regions of Ukraine to be part of Russian territory at a ceremony in Moscow. The recovery of Lyman "puts in bright lights that [Putin's] claim is illegal and cannot be implemented," according to retired US Lieutenant General Ben Hodges. [110]
On October 2, Ukrainian forces retook Dibrova in the Luhansk Oblast[111]. On October 5, pictures of Ukrainian forces at the entry signs to Hrekivka[112] and Makiivka, about 20 kilometres southwest of Svatove, started to circulate on social media. These were the first communities in the Luhansk region to be freed. [113]
Responses in Russia
On September 6, 2022, in Vladivostok, Putin met with the leaders of Mongolia and Myanmar at the Eastern Economic Forum. On the Path to a Multipolar World was the theme.
After the counteroffensive started, CPRF leader Gennady Zyuganov called for mobilisation at the State Duma's first meeting.
Putin asserted at his speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 7, 2022, one day after the start of the Ukrainian offensive, that "We have not lost anything and will not lose anything" in the conflict in Ukraine.
[114][115]
Some pro-war commenters and Russian nationalists on social media expressed tremendous rage over the nearly total silence of the Russian authorities regarding the defeat or any explanation for the developments there. On 11 September, some urged for President Vladimir Putin to make quick measures to secure decisive success in the war,[116] with a number of pro-war bloggers advocating for mobilisation inside Russia. [117] Later, the setback was attacked by state-funded media in Russia, with one pro-Kremlin tabloid placing the blame on "supply and manpower shortfalls, bad coordination, and tactical errors planned by military leaders." [118]
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, according to former rebel commander and pro-war military blogger Igor Girkin, should be executed by firing squad "The conflict in Ukraine won't end until Russia is totally vanquished. We already lost; the remaining events are only a matter of time." [119] He claimed that Russia's complete mobilisation was still the "final opportunity" for triumph. [120] "We need to do something about the system where our leadership doesn't like to communicate about negative news, and their subordinates don't want to anger their superiors," pro-Kremlin war journalist Alexander Kots said in a public statement. [119]
Vladimir Putin installed a Ferris wheel at Moscow's VDNKh and celebrated Moscow City Day while Ukraine was launching its counteroffensive.
[121] War bloggers condemned him for prolonging the celebrations.
[122]
The evening of September 10 saw a joyous fireworks show in Moscow. Many pro-war politicians in Russia, including Sergey Mironov, the founder of A Just Russia — For Truth, are said to have demanded its cancellation ahead of time. [123][124]
Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, questioned Russia's handling of the conflict in a Telegram message:[125] "They have erred, and I believe they will come to the proper conclusions. If they don't make adjustments in the plan of executing the special military operation in the next day or two, I will be forced to contact the leadership of the Defense Ministry and the leadership of the country to convey the real situation on the ground." [126]
Mikhail Sheremet, a State Duma representative for United Russia, called for "maximum mobilisation" on September 12.
[127] On September 13, Gennady Zyuganov, the head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, called for the maximum mobilisation of forces and resources. However, later, Zyuganov's press secretary, Alexander Yushchenko, claimed that Zyuganov had called for the economy and resources to be mobilised, not the population, and that "some groups that engage in outright provocations" should be put to death. [129]
Many people outside of Russia believed that Russia's subsequent attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure were an effort to at least partially meet the demands of Russia's hardline war backers, who urged for an intensification of Russian military measures[130].
[131][132]
The Penal Code was amended on September 20 by the State Duma, who included the terms "mobilisation" and "martial law" as well as the articles "marauding" and "voluntarily surrendering."
[133] On 20 September, pro-Kremlin administrations in separate Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine announced "referendums" on merging these territories with Russia. [134] One of the goals of such a legal annexation of the areas, according to analysts, is to offer Putin a justification for "defending Russian territory" in the event that he needs to order the mobilisation of Russian conscripts. [135]
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, announced a limited mobilisation on September 21.
[136]
[137]
[138] The British Ministry of Defense said on September 26 that numerous fresh recruits had already been sent to Ukraine without the necessary training or gear. [139] Fewer than two weeks after being conscripted, some of the mobilised Russian soldiers were slain, notably St. Petersburg attorney Andrei Nikiforov, who was killed on October 7 near the Ukrainian city of Lysychansk. This suggested that Russian soldiers aren't receiving the fundamental military training they need before being deployed to the front, which would go against Putin's assurance that all mobilised civilians would receive this training before being deployed to battle. [140]
Worldwide
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) observed that the Russian army's long-established ground lines of communication, which were used to supply the Russian army in northern Luhansk Oblast, were being seriously hampered by the Ukrainian counteroffensive's quick tempo and disruption of those lines.
[141] As of September 11, ISW acknowledged that while Western weaponry were essential for Ukraine's success, they were insufficient, and that the campaign's astute organisation and execution were key to its quick success. ISW believed that extensive preparations and the announcement of a counter-offensive in the Kherson region had confused the Russians, leading to a diversion of the Russian army's attention away from the Kharkiv region, where the Ukrainian army subsequently struck. [13]
On September 10, officials from the British Ministry of Defense claimed that the Russian army had essentially not defended the majority of the regions that Ukraine had taken back.
[142]
The loss of Izium, which the Russian army had been attempting to take over for more than a month at the beginning of the invasion, was described by Reuters and the BBC as a "huge humiliation" for Russian President Vladimir Putin and as Moscow's greatest defeat since the withdrawal from Kyiv in March.
[142]
[143] Financial Times released a report on 28 September portraying the counteroffensive as "[the] 90km journey that transformed the direction of the war in Ukraine." [31] [specify] ISW claims that Russia's chances of taking control of the Donetsk Oblast were shattered by the liberation of Izium, which was taken in early April. [13]
Ukraine's counteroffensives, according to Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, demonstrated that the military could win the conflict more quickly with more Western weapons, a claim that President Zelenskyy supported on September 12.
[144] Successes in Kharkiv Oblast gave Ukraine, which is increasingly dependent on its Western partners for military support, a much-needed confidence boost. [142]
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan in September 2022 started soon after Russia's military projection in the area was weakened due to failures in the Ukrainian Kharkiv counteroffensive.
[145]
Result of the initial phase
Torture evidence and mass graves
Following the region's successful liberation from Russian rule, Ukrainian authorities found torture rooms used by Russian forces during their rule, especially in the villages of Balakliia and Kozacha Lopan. More than 10 torture chambers and mass graves, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, were found in the Kharkiv districts freed by Ukrainian forces. [146][147][148]
Upon their entry into the towns of Balakliia and Izium, Ukrainian forces discovered a number of locations where Russian occupation forces had been holding residents captive, along with evidence of torture and executions.
[149] Seven Sri Lankan students were reportedly kidnapped by Russian soldiers as well. [150] At first, 1,000 inhabitants were thought to have perished as a result of the initial Russian siege and later occupation. Several grave sites were discovered, and witnesses testified that Russian forces had arrested, kidnapped, tortured, and killed locals during the occupation. [151]
On September 15, the police began exhuming the dead from mass graves located in the Pishanske cemetery in Izium. They discovered that the majority of the fatalities were civilians.
[152] The fact that several civilian and military victims had signs of torture, rope around their necks, and their hands were tied suggested they had been executed as prisoners rather than slain in combat or by bombing. [153] Although Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, and Russian diplomats denied Ukraine's accusations as "provocation" and "lies" respectively, satellite photographs published by Maxar confirmed the existence of the graves prior to the Ukrainian counteroffensive. [156] [157] In the town of Izium, ten locations for torture and execution have been found. [158]
citations for service
Zelenskyy awarding a soldier near the front line in the Kharkiv Oblast
On September 15, President Zelenskyy paid a visit to the liberated city of Izium and presented awards to the operation's soldiers. He listed the following units that had taken part in his daily address: the Main Intelligence Directorate, the 40th, 43rd, and 44th Separate Artillery Brigades, the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade, the 80th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade, the 107th MLRS Brigade, and the 14th and 92nd Separate Mechanized Brigades. [159]
Russian referendum impact
The scheduled referendums for the annexation of the self-declared Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics had already been postponed from September 11 to November 4, according to two individuals close to the Kremlin, according to Meduza's report on September 12.
[160] The annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine were originally set for November 2022, but Russian officials finally moved them to late September 2022 as a result of the counteroffensives in Kherson and Kharkiv. [35]