What did 12 September 2022 reveal about Russia's retreat?
A look back at a day of Ukrainian advances in Kharkiv Oblast, strikes on infrastructure and unusual dissent inside Russia.
What did the Russian position in north-eastern Ukraine look like on 12 September 2022? By that date it was visibly unravelling, and the pressure was being felt beyond the front line.
Ukraine's counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast had begun on 6 September 2022, alongside a separate push in the south. By 10 September, Ukrainian troops had retaken Balakliia, Kupiansk and Izium. The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed it was withdrawing from several towns in the oblast, saying this would let its forces regroup and reinforce the Donbas.
Gains continue
On 12 September, Ukrainian forces said they had seized 20 more settlements in the previous 24 hours, including Dvorichna, and claimed to have captured many Russian prisoners of war. The Ukrainian general staff also reported that Russian troops had abandoned Svatove in Luhansk Oblast. A day earlier, Ukrainian soldiers had retaken Chkalovske and Velykyi Burluk, and Russian forces were withdrawing from most of Kharkiv Oblast. The governor of Belgorod Oblast, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on 11 September that thousands of civilians were fleeing across the border into his region.
Strikes on infrastructure
On 11 September, Russia had launched Kalibr cruise missile strikes on critical infrastructure, including Kharkiv TEC-5. The strikes caused a total blackout and water shutdown in north-eastern Ukraine and in Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts. Ukrainian officials confirmed that at least 40 electrical substations had been destroyed.
Signs of strain in Russia
On 12 September, more than 30 municipal deputies from Russian cities signed a petition calling for President Vladimir Putin to resign, as Ukrainian advances mounted. Multiple explosions were also reported near Taganrog in Rostov Oblast, Russia.
Taken together, the day's reports showed rapid Ukrainian territorial gains, continued Russian missile attacks on civilian infrastructure and open political dissent in Russian cities. Later accounts describe the occupation of Kharkiv Oblast as having shrunk to a small portion of land by November 2022.
