Ukraine has seized around 400sq km in Kharkiv thanks to an “opportunistic” counter-offensive.
Ukrainian forces “likely used tactical surprise to advance at least 20km into Russian-occupied territory” in Kharkiv region on Sep 7, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
The Russians were likely understrength due to troops being sent to Donetsk to support the ongoing efforts to capture the area and bolster the deployment on the southern axis, a source in Moscow claimed.