Experts of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) believe that the success of the Ukrainian army was the result of a campaign that includes the maximum use of Western weapons systems.

The long discussion and then the statement of Kiev about the counteroffensive operation from the Kherson region distracted the Russian troops from the sectors where the Ukrainian forces carried out decisive attacks in the last few days.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine used HIMARS and other Western systems to attack Russian land lines of communication in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, creating conditions for the success of the operation.

The Ukrainian authorities defiantly discussed strikes in the south, successfully misleading the Russians about their intentions in the Kharkiv region.

The current counteroffensive, however, will not end the war, experts say.

The campaign in northeastern Ukraine will eventually come to an end, which will allow Russian troops to restore a stable defensive line and, perhaps, even carry out frightening counterattacks.

Ukraine will have to start new counter-offensive operations to complete the liberation of the territory occupied by Russia, in connection with this, the war will most likely drag on until 2023.

Ukraine turned the tide of the war in its favor.

Kyiv will probably increasingly dictate the location and nature of major hostilities, and Russia will increasingly respond inadequately to the growing physical and psychological pressure from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that there is still a threat of further Russian air and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities.

"Over the past day, the enemy carried out 18 missile and 39 air strikes on military and civilian objects on the territory of Ukraine.

More than 30 settlements were affected, in particular Kramatorsk, Konstantinovka, Dnipro, Pavlograd, and Velikymihailovka.

The Russians committed another terrorist act - they launched a missile attack on the Kharkiv CHPP, a critical infrastructure facility of the city.

As a result, several districts were partially disconnected," writes the General Staff of the USU.

On September 11, Ukrainian forces liberated more than 20 settlements, restoring Ukrainian power there.

The armed forces of Ukraine report that the liberation of settlements from the Russian invaders in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions continues, during the retreat the Russians quickly leave their positions and flee deep into the temporarily occupied territories or into the territory of the Russian Federation.

"This trend persists.

So, over the past day, the occupiers took away property and transport looted from local residents from the villages of Velikiy Burluk and Dvorichna of the Kharkiv region.

In the Luhansk region, Russian soldiers and their families left the town of Svatava, only the fighters of the so-called "people's militia" from among the local residents remained.

Russia's war against Ukraine

  • At 5:00 a.m. on February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a military operation against Ukraine in the Donbass at the request of the "DPR" and "LPR" groups.

    On February 21, during a televised address to Russians, Putin called the so-called "DPR" and "LPR" independent states within the regions.

    On February 22, the Federation Council ratified this decision.

  • All days of the war, Ukrainian cities were bombarded with rockets, aircraft flew over them.

    Russian troops are attacking, including from the territory of Belarus, using airfields, bases and roads.

    Representatives of the Lukashenka regime justify the war, the opposition considers the territory of Belarus occupied and calls for resistance to the Russian invaders.

  • On February 27, the International Territorial Defense Legion was created in Ukraine, and foreign volunteers were invited to join it.

    Belarusians also entered there.

  • During the six months of war in Ukraine, 11 Belarusians are known to have died fighting on the Ukrainian side.

    These are Ilya Khrenov, Alyaksei Skoblia, Dmitri Apanasovich, Dmitri Rubashevskyi, Konstantin Dubaila, Pavel "Volat", Ivan Marchuk, Vasil Parfyankov, Vasil Grudovik, Vadim Shatrov and one of the fighters of Kalinovsky's regiment, whose name was not mentioned.

    In addition, it is known for sure about two prisoners from Kalinin - Ian Djurbeyka and Syarhei Dzhogtsev.

    There are no details about their fate.

  • It is also known about cases of death of natives of Belarus who fought in Ukraine on the side of Russia.

    During the six months of the war, there were nine such people.

  • On March 30, the UN approved the composition of an independent commission that will investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

    It included people who worked in the analysis of the genocide in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

  • Contrary to Putin's statements about attacks only on military facilities, the Russians are bombing schools, kindergartens and residential areas of Ukrainian cities.

    The Russians are using banned weapons, including cluster bombs, against civilians.

  • On April 1, Lithuania became the first country in the European Union to completely abandon Russian gas.

    Latvia and Estonia followed her example.

    Germany has promised to completely stop using Russian oil by the end of 2022.

  • On April 2, after the liberation of the town of Bucha near Kyiv, photojournalists published dozens of photographs showing hundreds of dead people, victims of mass murders committed by Russian troops.

    Many are buried in spontaneous mass graves.

    The Russian occupation also brought great destruction to the people of Barodyan.

    It is also known about a number of rapes, including babies.

  • On May 9, the US President signed the Land Leasing Law.

    This law restores the program from the Second World War, which will speed up the supply of weapons to Ukraine and increase the amount of such assistance.

  • In June, two volunteers from Great Britain and one from Morocco were sentenced to death in the so-called "DNR".

  • Since the beginning of the war, 34 journalists have died.

    Some did not perform professional functions, but were mobilized into the Ukrainian army.

  • On July 29, as a result of an attack on the colony in Alenivtsi, at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners who previously defended the Azovstal plant and surrendered after completing their military mission were killed.

    The Russians accused Ukraine of the attack, the Ukrainian side declared the deliberate killing of prisoners by the Russian side.

  • On August 22, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny announced the official number of dead Ukrainian soldiers.

    According to him, it is about 9,000 soldiers.

    On August 22, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that he would refuse any negotiations with the Kremlin in the event that Moscow starts trying the defenders of "Azovstal" in Mariupol.

  • During the six months of the war, Russia was able to occupy about 20% of the Ukrainian territory.

    In March, the area of ​​occupied land reached 30%.

    However, at the end of the month, Russian troops retreated from the north of Ukraine, as well as partially from Kharkiv.

    At the end of August, the Crimea, Luhansk and Kherson regions remain completely occupied.

    And also 50% of the territory of the Donetsk region, about 70% of the Zaporizhia region, approximately 30% of the Kharkiv region.

  • Kherson remains the only regional center of Ukraine captured by Russia after February 24.

    The city was occupied by Russian troops in the first days of the war without actually fighting.

    Kyiv suspects part of the former leadership of Kherson and the region of treason.

  • Independent verification of information about military actions provided by officials of various parties is still impossible.