Ukrainian troops continued to pile unrelenting pressure on retreating Russian forces on Tuesday, seeking to hold on to their sudden momentum that has produced major territorial gains. Fresh yellow-and-blue flags fluttered from the tallest buildings left in partly destroyed towns around Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, while Ukrainian soldiers inspected charred Russian tanks left along the way.From the beginning of September until today, our soldiers have already liberated more than 6,000 square kilometres of the territory of Ukraine ? in the east and south. The movement of our troops continues, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address late on Monday. Many of the claims of military success could not be independently verified.
Rubbing salt into Russia’s wounds, British intelligence said that one of Moscow’s premier forces, the 1st Guards Tank Army, had been severely degraded during the invasion and that Russia’s conventional force designed to counter NATO is severely weakened. It will likely take years for Russia to rebuild this capability. The retreat didn’t stop Russia from pounding Ukrainian positions, however. Early Tuesday, it shelled the city of Lozova in the Kharkiv region, killing three people and injuring nine, said regional governor Oleh Syniehubov.