Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, was finally free after a severe fight with the Russian army.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has a population of 1.4 million, the city covers about 115 square miles and is divided into nine districts.
The city is located at the confluence of the Lopan, Udy, and Kharkiv rivers near the Donets Basin. It is only 26 miles from the Russian border, making Kharkiv extremely vulnerable to the invasion of Ukraine.
Kharkiv is one of the largest public plazas in the world. It was built shortly after Ukraine became part of the former USSR. Along with its proximity to the Russian border and strategic importance as a transportation hub, Kharkiv has strong cultural ties to Russia.
On February 24, Thursday, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on three fronts “bombarding cities, towns and villages” as forces advanced toward the capital of Kyiv but Ukrainian forces have repelled a Russian attempt to seize Kharkiv.
Ukraine claimed a major victory on Sunday against the invasion of Russian forces, saying its military had fought back and retaken full control of the nation’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, amid heavy warfare. Oleh Synyehubov, Regional Governor, said: “Control over Kharkiv is completely ours!”
The majority of Kharkiv’s population speaks Russian, and many people travel back and forth between the countries for commerce or to visit family. But that doesn’t mean the city favors Russia in the current conflict.
A Ukrainian state news agency said that before daybreak on Sunday, Russian troops blew up a natural gas pipeline in the city of nearly 1.5 million people, sending a burning cloud up into the darkness.
The Ukraine President’s office also said Russian forces blew up a gas pipeline in Kharkiv, prompting the government to warn people to protect themselves from the smoke by covering their windows with damp cloth or gauze. President Zelenskyy said: “We will fight for as long as needed to liberate our country.”
Terrified men, women, and children sought safety inside and underground, and the government maintained a 39-hour curfew to keep people off the streets. More than 150,000 Ukrainians fled for Poland, Moldova, and other neighboring countries, and the United Nations warned the number could grow to 4 million if fighting escalates.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Major General Igor Konashenkov said Russia’s military put increasing pressure on strategic ports in the south of Ukraine, blocking the strategic cities of Kherson on the Black Sea and the port of Berdyansk on the Azov Sea.
He said the Russian forces also have taken control of an airbase near Kherson and the city of Henichesk on the Azov Sea. Ukrainian authorities previously have reported fighting in various areas along the coast.
President Vladimir Putin hasn’t disclosed his ultimate plans, but Western officials believe he is determined to overthrow Ukraine’s government and replace it with a regime of his own, redrawing the map of Europe and reviving Moscow’s Cold War-era influence.
Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said a Russian delegation of military officials and diplomats had arrived Sunday in the Belarusian city of Hormel for talks with Ukraine. Dmitry said: “The Russian delegation is ready for talks and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians.”
President Zelensky said his country was ready for peace talks with Russia but not in Belarus given the Russian ally’s role in the invasion. Speaking in a video message on Sunday, Zelenskyy named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest, or Baku as alternative venues. He said other locations are also possible.
He claimed: “The Russian soldiers, who were taken captive, talk about total extortion and demoralization”, saying the invading troops were surrendering in groups of five to 10 and throwing their equipment in the middle of the road.
To aid Ukraine’s ability to hold out, the U.S. pledged an additional $350 million in military assistance to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons, body armor, and small arms. Germany said it would send missiles and anti-tank weapons to the besieged country and that it would close its airspace to Russian planes.
Responding to a request from Ukraine’s minister of digital transformation, tech billionaire Elon Musk said on Twitter his satellite-based internet system Star link was now active in Ukraine and that there were “More terminals end route.”
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., said troops in Kyiv were fighting Russian “sabotage groups.” Ukraine says some 200 Russian soldiers have been captured and thousands killed. According to the U.N. refugee agency, About 368,000 Ukrainians have arrived in neighboring countries since the invasion started to seek shelter.