Russia-Ukraine war: UK says Ukraine consolidating control in retaken Kharkiv

Ukraine is seeking to maintain its momentum when its forces recaptured portions of the southern and eastern territories. The British defense ministry said Ukraine is consolidating its control of the reclaimed Kharkiv region.

In an intelligence bulletin by the ministry Thursday, the ministry said Ukraine was consolidating its control over Kharkiv following its offensive a few weeks ago. Russian forces have largely withdrawn from the area, which is west of the Oskil river, leaving behind equipment.

“The way in which Russian forces have withdrawn in the last week has varied. Some units retreated in relatively good order and under control, while others fled in apparent panic,” said the ministry.

“High-value equipment abandoned by retreating Russian forces included capabilities essential to enable Russia’s artillery-centric style of warfare,” said the tweet. “Amongst these are at least one ZOOPARK counter-battery radar and at least one IV14 artillery command and control vehicle.”

The ministry noted that the abandonment of equipment indicated the “disorganized retreat” of some Russian forces and “likely localized lockdowns in command and control.”

So far, Ukraine has retaken around 9,000 square kilometers of land from Russian forces. Most of the retaken land was in Kharkiv.

In an interview with Reuters, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will continue backing Ukraine even as some member countries are becoming divided on how to further punish Russia for its invasion.

Following her meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, von der Leyen said the European Union’s sanctions on Russia are beginning to have a real impact, noting that the sanctions needed some time to really show visible impact.

When pressed on the potential impact of the continent’s growing energy crisis on the support for Ukraine, von der Leyen said standing with Kyiv “comes at a high cost, but our freedom, the international peace order, and democracy is priceless.”

For the first time in the bloc’s history, the EU jointly funded military assistance to Ukraine through the European Peace Facility. Von der Leyen said more support for Ukraine is likely in the future, lauding the successful gains by Ukrainian forces as “lifting spirits” in the entirety of Europe.