Ukraine says it recaptured 1,200 sq km of Kherson region in ongoing counteroffensive

Ukraine has retaken more than 1,170 kilometres (450 miles) of land in the southern Kherson region since launching its counter-assault on Russia in late August, a military spokesperson said on Sunday (9 October).

Although Ukraine's offensive in the north-east was a success, its efforts in the South to eliminate a Russian presence on the west bank the Dnipro river's vast Dnipro River has been slower and more laborious.

Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the Southern military command, stated that Ukraine is making progress on Kherson front but that there was still much to do to secure newly retaken territories.

She said: "Work continues on consolidation of territory and clearing it, and conducting stabilising operations."

Humeniuk said "as of today, since the beginning of counter-offensive, more than 1,170 kilometres had been liberated in Kherson direction".

Ukrainian officials have long advocated the importance of capturing Kherson, an agricultural area that Moscow captured in its early days of the invasion.

Russia's supply lines to Crimea, the strategically important Crimean peninsula further south would be threatened if Kherson suffers any major territorial loss. Kyiv has long longed for its return since Russia's occupation of the territory in 2014.

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