In a few days, Ukraine managed to recapture large areas east of Kharkiv from Russian forces. The city of Izjum, a transport hub near the Donbass region, is considered to be particularly important.
These are figures that still amaze people in Ukraine today. Since September 6, the Ukrainian army has liberated more than 6.000 square kilometers and more than 300 settlements with a total of about 150.000 inhabitants in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said on Tuesday. As a result, almost the entire territory in the north and east of Kharkiv Oblast was recaptured.
Russia quickly occupied and held that part at the beginning of the invasion on February 24. For Ukraine, the offensive is the second major success since the end of March, when the Russian offensive against Kiev failed, and Moscow withdrew its troops north of the capital.
Moscow initially remained silent for days – and eventually described the rapid retreat as a "regrouping". For Kharkiv itself, the second largest city in Ukraine, this does not mean any relief. It is close to the border with Russia and from there it is shelled almost every day, lately more and more. But for the more eastern areas, the end of the occupation is strategically important.
Exception: the gate of Donbass
Izyum is considered the most important city that Ukraine managed to recapture. The city, in which about 50.000 people lived before the Russian invasion, is located in the southeast of the Kharkiv region, on the strategically important main road M-03 (E-40). Among other things, it connects Kharkiv with the city of Slovjanska in the neighboring Donetsk region. It is only 50 kilometers from Izjum to Slovjansk, and it is a kind of "gateway to Donbass".
Since the outbreak of the war in Donbass in 2014, that highway has become one of the central traffic arteries of Ukraine. It is supplied from Kharkiv to the troops in the part of Donbas under the control of Ukraine. Russia is trying to encircle Ukrainian troops near Slovyansk, also from the north - but so far without success. Heavy fighting took place there throughout the summer. The recapture of Izjum relieved Kiev's troops in the Donbass and enabled the offensive to continue further east.
The exception is not only important as a transport hub. There is a weapons factory in the city that belongs to the state concern Ukroboronprom. The factory is the only manufacturer of optical glasses in Ukraine. Most of Ukraine's military technology night vision devices, including battle tanks and armored personnel carriers, are produced there. In addition, parts of the laser control system for Ukrainian anti-tank missiles of the type "Stuhna" and "Korsar" are also manufactured at the armament factory in Izjum. Both systems are used in war.
Kupyansk - railway junction on the border with Russia
No less valuable is the city of Kupyansk, the second most important railway junction in the Kharkiv region. It is located in the north and is only 40 kilometers from the border with Russia. Russian occupying forces used Kupyansk to transport supplies to the front near Izjum. On the Russian side, a new military base was built in recent years near the town of Valujki, close to the Ukrainian border.
Kupyansk is located on the Oskol River, and Russian troops have retreated to its eastern bank due to the Ukrainian offensive. Before the invasion, about 60.000 people lived in the city. During the occupation, a "civil-military administration" was established there, effectively controlled by Moscow. The Ukrainian offensive forced them to move first to Vovchansk near the border and then to Belgorod in Russia. That "administration" apparently planned a "referendum" for union with Russia in the coming months, similar to other occupied territories. Those plans have now been disrupted.
Balaklija – weapons storage and gas field
Balaklija was one of the first cities to be liberated in the Kharkiv region. A place with about 27.000 inhabitants before the war, it is smaller than Izjum or Kupjansk. However, it is not far from the strategically important highway M-03 on the way from Kharkiv to Izjum.
In 2017, Balakliya made headlines in Ukraine and abroad when an artillery ammunition depot exploded. According to some reports, it once housed Ukraine's largest ammunition depot, a legacy of the Soviet Union. The authorities in Kiev talked about sabotage.
In addition to all that, the area around Balaklia is important for supplying Ukraine with gas. There is the Shebelinka gas field, the largest in Ukraine. Due to the proximity of the front, gas production was at risk. Almost half of Ukraine's gas is produced in the Kharkiv region.
Can Ukraine keep the conquered territories?
After the success of the past few days, Ukraine is trying to push further east and liberate new areas. However, the pace has slowed significantly. The central question in the coming weeks is likely to be whether Ukraine can hold on to the territories it has liberated. Observers do not rule out the possibility that Russia will regroup forces and attack again in the north. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, whose troops are notorious in the war in Ukraine, has announced that the lost territory will be returned to Moscow's control.
However, it will not be an easy task for the Russian army. Ukraine is currently trying to advance in the south, in the Kherson region. She managed to retake smaller towns. Due to its proximity to annexed Crimea, Russia apparently considers Kherson much more important than Kharkiv and has recently been sending reinforcements there again and again.
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