Russia-Ukraine war: Russian-installed officials say Ukrainian troops outnumbered Russian forces

A counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces is underway as the war Russia continues to wage is moving toward its seventh month. Russian-installed officials in the northeastern Kharkiv region have acknowledged that Ukrainian troops have outnumbered Russians by a significant amount.

Russian-installed official Vitaly Ganchev said Monday that Russian forces in the northeastern territory of Kharkiv have been outnumbered by Ukrainian troops by a significant amount as Ukraine makes its surprise counter-attack on the area.

Ganchev added that Ukrainian forces succeeded in retaking Russian-held settlements in Kharkiv, advancing to the border with Russia.

Ganchev also said that around 5,000 civilians fled to Russia as the counter-attack was underway. Speaking to the Russian-state media outlet Rossiya-24, Ganchev said the situation for them was posing more of a challenge over time, noting that the border with the Russian region of Belgorod was now closed.

This follows the gains Ukrainian troops made over the weekend, overrunning the Russian supply hubs in Izium and Kupiansk, where the Russian-installed administration was based. By Sunday, the Russian defense ministry said almost the entire Kharkiv region was abandoned.

“In some areas of the front, our defenders reached the state border with the Russian Federation,” said Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synyehubov.

The Ukrainian military also said it recaptured over 20 settlements within recent days.

According to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War Monday, Russia might be lacking the reserve forces it needs to boost its defenses in Ukraine. “Ukraine has turned the tide of this war in its favor” in its counter-attack with the use of weapons provided by the West, according to the think tank.

The United Nations condemned Russia’s “intimidation” of its critics who are opposed to its war in Ukraine, saying that Moscow is undermining fundamental freedoms.

Deputy UN human rights chief Nada al-Nashif condemned the actions before the UN Security Council, citing Moscow’s “intimidation, restrictive measures, and sanctions against people voicing opposition to the war in Ukraine.”

al-Nashif added that by attempting to silence the critics, Moscow is undermining “the exercise of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental freedoms, including the rights to free assembly, expression, and association.”