5:59 v originále: Ukraine pushes forward as Russia retreats at the front

Ukraine pushes forward with its effort to liberate territories seized illegally by Russia. Kyiv says that its forces have recaptured some 500 square kilometers in the south of the country during last week. How far is Ukraine ready to push with its counteroffensive?

Since Russia's illegal annexation of four regions in the south and east of the country, Kyiv has intensified its effort to „deoccupy“ the territories seized by Moscow. The Russian forces - while retreating at the front - managed to hit Ukraine deep in its territory with what Ukrainians said are Iranian made drones.

„Russian reserves of missiles have been depleted very significantly. They have already used thousands and thousands of missiles against Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian civilian targets,“ says Rostyslav  Khotin, senior editor in RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.

In an interview for podcast 5:59 Khotin points out that while lacking missiles, „they (Russia) want to use these relatively cheap Iranian kamikaze drones called Shahid. Apparently Iran sent lots of them to Russia.“

Russia has managed to strike with this type of weapons far away from the front lines. In Bila Tserkva, a town located about 80 kilometers south from Kyiv, half a dozen weapons of this type hit infrastructure according to the Ukrainian authorities.

The Ukrainian forces are meanwhile pushing further into the territories occupied by Russia in the south. „These gains are very significant from a military point of view,“ explains RFE/RL's senior editor Khotin.

After Ukrainian troops retook Lyman, a strategic city in eastern Ukraine, they are intensifying their advance in the south, trying to liberate the right bank of Dnieper river in the Kherson region, says Khotin.

„That's very important .. also psychologically. It gives confidence to the Ukrainian population, to Ukrainian armed forces. More than 90 % of the Ukrainian population now believe in the Ukrainian victory, they believe in Ukrainian armed forces,“ suggests Rostyslav Khotin in the latest episode of 5:59.

What is the overall atmosphere in Ukraine after the annexation? In what conditions do Ukrainians live on the territories controlled by Russia? And how seriously is the government in Kyiv taking threats by the Russian president Vladimir Putin that Russia might use its nuclear arsenal in Ukraine? Listen to the whole interview via audio player at the top of the article.