Why the cities matter that Ukraine has retaken

International

-DW News

Kyiv,
Sep
15:
The
figures
still
amaze
people
in

Ukraine
—
since
September
6,
the
Ukrainian
army
has
liberated
more
than
6,000
square
kilometers
(2,378
square
miles)
and
more
than
300
towns
with
a
total
population
of
about
150,000
people
in
the
Kharkiv
region,
according
to
Ukrainian
Deputy
Defense
Minister
Hanna
Maliar.

Reportedly,
most
of
the
territory
in
the
north
and
east
of
Kharkiv
Oblast
has
been
recaptured,
an
area
Russia
had
quickly
occupied
and
held
at
the
start
of
the
invasion
on
February
24,
2022.

For
Ukraine,
this
offensive
is
the
second
major
success
since
late
March,
when
the
Russian
offensive
on
Kyivfailed
and
Moscow
withdrew
its
troops
north
of
the
capital.

Moscow
initially
remained
silent
for
days,
before
describing
the
hasty
retreat
as
a
“regrouping.”
However,
the
retreat
doesn’t
yet
mean
relief
yet
for
Kharkiv,
Ukraine’s
second-largest
city.
Close
to
the
border
with
Russia,
the
city
is
shelled
almost
daily.
But
for
the
areas
further
east,
the
end
of
the
occupation
is
strategically
important.

Izyum,
gateway
to
Donbas

Home
to
around
50,000
people
before
the
Russian
invasion,
Izyum
lies
in
the
southeast
of
the
Kharkiv
region
on
the
strategically
important
M-03
(E-40)
highway.
It
is
considered
the
most
important
city
that
Ukraine
has
been
able
to
recapture.
The
road
connects
Kharkiv
with
the
city
of
Sloviansk
in
the
neighboring
Donetsk
region.
Izyum
to
Sloviansk
is
only
50
kilometers
(32
miles),
making
it
the
gateway
to
the
Donbas
coalfield.

Since
the
outbreak
of
war
in
the
Donbas
in
2014,
this
road
has
become
one
of
Ukraine’s
central
transport
arteries.
Troops
in
the
Ukrainian-controlled
part
of
Donbas
are
supplied
from
Kharkiv
along
this
route.
Russia
is
trying
to
encircle
Ukrainian
troops
near
Sloviansk,
but
so
far
without
success.
All
summer
long,
fighting
in
the
area
has
been
heavy.
Retaking
Izyum
relieves
Ukraine’s
troops
in
Donbas
and
the
offensive
further
east
can
continue.

Izyum
is
more
than
an
important
transport
hub
though.
It
is
home
to
an
arms
factory
owned
by
the
Ukroboronprom
state
corporation,
the
only
manufacturer
of
glass
optics
in
Ukraine.
Most
of
the
night
vision
equipment
for
the
Ukrainian
military
is
produced
there,
including
for
battle
tanks
and
infantry
fighting
vehicles.
The
Izyum
weapons
factory
also
produces
parts
of
the
laser
control
system
for
Ukrainian
Stuhna
and
Corsar
anti-tank
missiles,
both
used
in
the
war.

Kupiansk,
railway
hub
on
the
border
with
Russia

The
city
of
Kupiansk
is
the
second
most
important
railroad
hub
in
the
Kharkiv
region.
The
city
is
located
in
the
north,
a
mere
40
kilometers
from
the
border
with
Russia.
Russia,
which
has
a
new
army
base
near
the
town
of
Valuyki
close
to
the
Ukrainian
border,
used
Kupyansk
to
transport
supplies
to
the
front
near
Izyum.

Kupiansk
is
on
the
Oskol
River.
Russian
troops
retreated
to
its
eastern
bank
in
response
to
the
Ukrainian
offensive.
Before
the
invasion,
about
60,000
people
lived
in
the
city.
During
the
occupation,
it
was
run
by
a
civil-military
administration
controlled
by
Moscow,
which
the
Ukrainian
offensive
forced
to
move
first
to
Vovchansk
near
the
border
and
then
to
Belgorod
in
Russia.
The
“administration”
apparently
planned
a
“referendum”
for
annexation
to
Russia
in
the
coming
months,
similar
to
those
in
other
occupied
territories
—
plans
now
disrupted.

Balakliia,
weapons
depot
and
gas
field

Balakliia
was
among
the
first
towns
liberated
in
the
Kharkiv
region.
With
about
27,000
inhabitants
before
the
war,
it
is
smaller
than
Izyum
and
Kupyansk.
However,
it
is
located
near
the
strategically
important
M-03
highway
on
the
route
from
Kharkiv
to
Izyum.

In
2017,
an
ammunition
depot
for
artillery
shells
in
Balakliia
exploded,
making
headlines
in
Ukraine
and
abroad.
Authorities
in
Kyiv
suspected
sabotage.
According
to
some
accounts,
the
town
once
housed
Ukraine’s
largest
ammunition
depot,
a
Soviet
legacy.

Shebelinka,
Ukraine’s
largest
gas
field,
is
also
located
in
the
area.
It
is
important
for
Ukraine’s
gas
supply
but
its
proximity
to
the
front
line
has
put
gas
production
at
risk.
Almost
half
of
Ukraine’s
gas
is
produced
in
the
Kharkiv
area.

Can
Ukraine
hold
the
retaken
areas?

Ukraine
is
trying
to
push
further
east
and
liberate
other
territories,
but
the
pace
has
slowed
considerably.
The
key
question
in
the
coming
weeks
is
whether
Ukraine
can
hold
the
territories
it
has
already
liberated.
Observers
don’t
rule
out
the
possibility
that
Russia
will
regroup
and
attack
again
in
the
north.
Chechen
leader
Ramzan
Kadyrov,
whose
troops
are
considered
notorious
in
the
Ukraine
war,
announced
that
lost
territory
would
be
recouped
under
Moscow’s
control.

Ukraine
is
currently
trying
to
advance
in
the
southern
Kherson
region,
where
several
small
towns
have
been
retaken.
Russia
apparently
considers
Kherson
to
be
much
more
important
than
Kharkiv
because
of
its
proximity
to
the
annexed
Crimea
—
and
has
repeatedly
sent
reinforcements.

Source: DW