Ukraine has announced that its troops have regained control of territory on the Russian border near the country’s second-largest city of Kharkiv, which has been under constant fire since Moscow’s invasion began.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on social media late on Sunday that Ukrainian troops of the 127th Brigade in the Kharkiv region “drove out the Russians and claimed the state border.”
In a video released with the statement, a clutch of Ukrainian soldiers in camouflage and holding weapons are gathered around a yellow-and-blue-painted border demarkation post and address Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Photo: AFP
The military has “reached the border with the Russian Federation — with the occupying country — we’ve done it. We’re here,” one of the soldiers says.
“We thank everyone who, risking their lives, liberates Ukraine from Russian invaders,” Kharkiv Governor Oleg Synegubov said in a statement on social media.
“We still have a lot of work ahead of us,” he added.
The European Commission was yesterday to propose a new package of financial aid to Ukraine, including new loans to provide immediate liquidity to Kyiv and commitments for the long-term financing of the country’s reconstruction, officials said.
The size of the short-term financial support is still being defined, but two officials familiar with the discussions said that they expected it to cover Ukraine’s financial needs for about two months, largely through loans.
A third official said the money would come from the EU budget and from EU governments.
The IMF last month estimated that Ukraine needed about US$5 billion per month for at least three months to plug the immediate financial shortfall caused by Russia’s invasion.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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