Russia deploys reinforcements to counter Ukrainian gains

Russia has announced the deployment of reinforcements to northeastern Ukraine, where Kyiv’s military has made rapid gains during a two-pronged counterattack that it says has liberated more than 1,000 square kilometres of territory in recent days.

The defence ministry in Moscow released video footage on Friday of armoured vehicles and trucks towing howitzers which it said were travelling towards the Kharkiv region, which is partly occupied by Russian troops despite their failure to capture the regional capital at the start of their all-out invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Ukrainian soldiers continued to upload photos and video to social media on Friday from towns and villages in the Kharkiv region that until this week were held by Russia, including Balakliya and Shevchenkove.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy posted a video showing Ukrainian soldiers reporting the capture of Balakliya, as they stood on a Russian flag with Ukraine’s blue-and-yellow banner flag flying behind them.

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“Everything is in its place. The flag of Ukraine, in a free Ukrainian town, under the free Ukrainian sky. Thank you. I’m proud of you,” Mr Zelenskiy wrote.

In his daily address late on Thursday night, Mr Zelenskiy said Ukrainian forces had retaken “dozens of settlements” this month, during a counterattack in the southern Kherson region and in the east.

“In total, more than 1,000 square kilometres of our territory have been liberated since September 1st. I am grateful to everyone who made it happen. I am grateful to the army, intelligence officers, and special services for every Ukrainian flag that has been hoisted these days,” he added.

Moscow has not acknowledged the losses, even as social media accounts that are close to the Russian military and mercenaries have reported Ukraine’s breakthrough in the Kharkiv region and, in some cases, lambasted the performance of Russian commanders.

Vitaly Ganchev, a Russian-appointed official in occupied areas of Kharkiv, said: “We do not really control Balakliya. Attempts are being made to repel the Ukrainian forces, but there are fierce battles and our troops are being held back on the outskirts.”

He said that in Shevchenkove “there is the same kind of attempt by Ukrainian armed groups to break through our defences. Now reserves have been brought there from Russia, our troops are fighting back.”

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Russian missiles hit the centre of Kharkiv city on Friday, injuring at least 14 people, and seven people were hurt in a Russian airstrike on the northern city of Sumy.

“To every success of the Ukrainian armed forces, to every victory, Russians ... reply with strikes against civilians,” said Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Mr Zelenskiy.

A day after Washington announced more military aid for Ukraine, US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said: “We see success in Kherson now, we see some success in Kharkiv and so that is very, very encouraging.”

After visiting Kyiv, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said Ukraine’s forces were “making real, demonstrable progress in a deliberate way,” after more than six months of all-out war with Russia that have killed thousands of Ukrainian civilians and displaced millions.

“But this is likely to go on for some significant period of time,” he added. “There are a huge number of Russian forces that are in Ukraine, and unfortunately, tragically, horrifically, President [Vladimir] Putin has demonstrated that he will throw a lot of people into this at huge cost to Russia.”

A vital offsite electricity supply to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been destroyed by shelling and there is little likelihood a reliable supply will be re-established, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog chief has said.

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said shelling had destroyed the switchyard of a nearby thermal power plant.

The plant has supplied power to the nuclear facility each time its normal supply lines had been cut over the past three weeks. The thermal plant was also supplying the surrounding area, which was plunged into darkness.

Local Ukrainian officials said work was under way to restore the connection, which has been cut multiple times this week.

Mr Grossi, who said he had been informed of the situation by IAEA representatives at the plant, called for an “immediate cessation of all shelling in the entire area”. “This is an unsustainable situation and is becoming increasingly precarious,” he said, without apportioning blame for the shelling. -(Additional reporting - Guardian)