Sept. 11 marked 200 days since Russia first invaded Ukraine, and things have changed drastically since then. Ukraine’s counteroffensive is shifting the momentum of the war. Since the beginning of the war on Feb. 24, 2022, many developments have altered the trajectory of the war, giving and taking power from both sides. 

UKRAINE LAUNCHES COUNTEROFFENSIVE

For the majority of the war, Russia pushed Ukraine to its militant limits, but a turn in events has shown that Ukraine is now responding to the attacks from Russia. On day 199, Sept. 10, Russia vacated its spot in Kharkiv, a northeastern city in Ukraine, after Ukrainian forces initiated a series of counteroffensive advances and recaptured territory previously lost to Russia. 

“From the beginning of September until today, our soldiers have already liberated more than 6,000 square kilometers of the territory of Ukraine — in the east and in the south. The movement of our troops continues,” said President Zelenskyy in an address.  

In the last few days, the counter-attacks led by Ukraine have resulted in the recapture of many villages and towns that Russia previously seized. Russia is said to have pulled back from multiple cities in Ukraine — Balakliya, Izyum and Kupiansk. 

RUSSIA STRIKES BACK

On the same day that Ukraine launched counterattacks, Russia attacked Ukrainian power stations which resulted in power outages around the country. President Zelenskyy deemed the attacks an act of terrorism. Kharkiv, a tipping territory in the war, was one of the many regions that suffered the consequences of the attack and experienced outages until late in the evening. 

Russia has moved towards pulling troops back from selected Ukrainian territories. Along with the spots vacated during Ukraine’s counteroffensive, Russian troops retreated from Melitopol, which had been under Russian control since March. Russia has lost much of what it has gained over the 200 days, giving Ukraine an advantage that can be seen as a road to success.