Ukrainian forces "have inflicted a major operational defeat" on Russia, recapturing almost all of the Kharkiv region in a rapid counteroffensive, according to strategists.
"The Ukrainian success resulted from skillful campaign design and execution that included efforts to maximize the impact of Western weapons systems such as HIMARS," the Institute for the Study of War said in its latest assessment of the war in Ukraine, referring to High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
Ukraine's forces have been able to recapture dozens of towns and villages in the northeast of the country over the last few days, including the strategically important town of Izyum and lately, Kupiansk.
Ukraine's counteroffensive in the northeast came after its much-vaunted counteroffensive in the south around Kherson saw Russia redeploy troops away from the region to defend areas they occupied in the south.
So far this month, Ukraine's forces have reclaimed 3,000 square kilometers (around 1,158 square miles) of Russian-occupied territory, according to the commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.