(CN) — Ukrainian forces on Friday were in control of Balakliya, a small city southeast of Kharkiv, and pressing forward against Russian troops who appeared to be retreating along parts of the northeastern front lines.
Kyiv's advances were hailed as a potentially major turning point in a brutal war that's raged for more than six months and left much of eastern and southern Ukraine in ruins. Tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides have been killed and at least 5,718 civilians have been killed, according to United Nations data.
Confidence in Kyiv's ability to defeat Russian President Vladimir Putin's army was on the rise following this week's massive counterattacks in the south and north by the armed forces of Ukraine.
There were growing signs that Russian forces were potentially disorganized and overwhelmed by Ukraine's counteroffensive along front lines southeast of Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city. Also noteworthy has been the silence from Russia's defense ministry over the status of combat in the Kharkiv region.
But it remained far too early to assess how decisive Ukraine's momentum has become and speculate about a possible collapse of Russian defenses. Ukraine has a numerical advantage in soldiers, perhaps as much as 3-to-1, but its army is facing an adversary with more artillery and an air force that has remained mostly on the sidelines until now. Russia may also be retreating in places due to its numerical inferiority and because it is opting for a mobile defense.
Still, the fighting in Kharkiv has clearly become the focus of the war. Russia’s defense ministry showed videos of tanks, armored vehicles and troops being transferred toward the fighting in the Kharkiv region. Russian warplanes were also heavily involved in battles there as they shot rockets and dropped bombs on Ukrainian forces. Moscow was also deploying more heavy weaponry to Kharkiv, including its thermobaric heavy flamethrower systems, the TOS-1A.
Russia was conducting mass evacuations of civilians in towns and cities on the front lines in Kharkiv, leaving open the possibility that such settlements could be heavily bombed if they come under control of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that about 390 square miles had been recaptured from Russian forces over the past week.
“Our heroes have already liberated dozens of settlements. And today this movement continued, there are new results,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video message on Thursday.
He thanked Western military support for helping his army achieve battlefield successes. His statements came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a surprise visit to Kyiv on Thursday that coincided with the White House announcing $2.8 billion in new military aid for the besieged country.
On Friday, Ukraine's defense ministry claimed that 650 Russian troops had been killed in the past day. The ministry claimed a similar number of Russian casualties the day before.
In recent days, both sides have reported inflicting massive losses on the enemy, but such claims cannot be independently verified.
Fighting is raging along many parts of the more than 800 miles of front lines that extend from the Black Sea to Ukraine's northern border with Russia near Kharkiv.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington military think thank, said in its latest report that Ukraine was closing in on retaking the small city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region and advancing on Izyum, a strategic city to the south of Kupyansk. The institute called Kupyansk a “logistical node” for Russian troops.
Ukrainian forces were seen in videos occupying the city of Balakliya, which lies about 23 miles northwest of Izyum.
The Study of War report notes that Russian military bloggers have vented anger online over what some see as failure by Russia's commanders to “prepare for 'obvious and predictable' Ukrainian counteroffensives.”
On Thursday, some Russian military sources claimed that Russian troops were holding onto Balakliya and that reserves were brought in and stabilized the front lines in Kharkiv.
Meanwhile, Russian attacks and small advances have continued farther to the south where battles have raged since the invasion started for control of Donetsk, one of two regions that make up the Donbas. Russian forces captured all of Luhansk, the other Donbas region, in July.
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Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.
Follow @cainburdeau
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