Ukrainian Kharkiv Counteroffensive Liberates 12,000 km²

Ukraine launched a surprise offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, breaking through Russian lines around Balakliya. Within two weeks, Ukrainian forces liberated approximately 12,000 km² of territory, recapturing Izyum (a key Russian logistics hub), Kupiansk, and Balakliya. Russian forces left behind massive quantities of military equipment, documents, and evidence of atrocities in abandoned positions.