Ukrainian soldiers on the northeastern front have made progress over the last several days the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Friday, noting its troops have advanced 30 miles in three days in the Kharkiv region.
The Pentagon confirmed Thursday that Ukraine had officially begun the long-awaited major counter-offensive with some progression being reported along Ukraine’s front lines in the north and the south near Kherson.
However, Western and Ukrainian officials have remained tight-lipped on operational details and battlefield assessments until now.
"Thanks to skillful and coordinated actions, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, with the support of the local population, advanced almost 50 km in 3 days. According to intelligence, some enemy units suffered significant losses," the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said in a daily update early Friday.
"Missile troops and artillery of our land groupings continue to perform tasks of counter-battery combat, disruption of the command-and-control system and logistical support, damage to the enemy's manpower and combat equipment," it added.
ZELENSKYY CHAMPIONS 'GOOD NEWS' FROM KHARKIV AS FORCES RETAKE VILLAGES FROM RUSSIA TROOPS
In a separate post on Facebook, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Defense Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi claimed that 1,000 sq km, roughly 390 sq miles, had been "freed from the occupant in the last few days," though he did not detail where in Ukraine these advances had been made.
Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelenskyy echoed this announcement in his nightly address Thursday and said dozens of towns had been "liberated" since Sept. 1 and vowed to keep providing commanders and the armed forces the support they need.
"All state activity is focused on the needs of the front and protection of our people," he said.
The announcement comes as the U.S. pledged another $675 million in military supplies to Kyiv Thursday, along with another $2.2 billion in military funding for not only Ukraine, but for 18 neighboring nations that have been threatened by Russia.
The U.S. has provided Ukraine with $15.2 billion since President Biden took office.
