Ukraine has recaptured the northeastern Kharkiv province as it continues to make gains in the east and south of the country, according to the AP.
USA Today reported that Kyiv’s forces have taken back more than 150 miles of land in the southern Kherson province that had fallen to the Russians early in the war.
Ukraine’s southern military command said Thursday. Spokesperson Natalia Humeniuk told the outlet that the situation along the southern front remains “fluid.”
The Ukrainian counteroffensive that drove Russian troops out of Kharkiv and across the border has extended to the neighboring provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk.
This makes up the industrial Donbas region that Russia covets. Among the prize gains was the strategically important city of Lyman.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his officials announced Wednesday the retaking of villages in those provinces. Zelenskyy said, “The return of the Ukrainian flag means that a peaceful and socially secure life is once again possible for Donbas.”
Ukrainian progress in parts of Luhansk appears probable because of favorable terrain and lack of Russian reinforcements, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.
In addition, the institute said, “Ukraine’s ongoing northern and southern counteroffensives are likely forcing the Kremlin to prioritize the defense of one area of operations at the expense of another, potentially increasing the likelihood of Ukrainian success in both.”
On Thursday Samantha Power the Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss Ukraine’s humanitarian, economic, and development needs.
At a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday, Power told the AP, “this war will be won on the battlefield, but it is also being won in Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its democracy and its economy.”
Power says her visit included meetings with Ukrainian farmers, civil society activists, journalists, and groups that USAID has been supporting to identify and document war crimes.
Earlier in the day, Power announced that USAID has committed an additional $55 million to assist Ukraine with repairs to heating pipes and other infrastructure and equipment.
Since February, USAID has given $9.89 billion in aid to Ukraine.
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