Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a strongly worded message to Putin, declaring Russia has already lost the war in Ukraine.

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The Ukrainian counteroffensive operations in the south have Russian forces in a "defensive crouch," said a senior military official during a background briefing at the Pentagon. Russian lines are collapsing as Ukrainian troops continue to make significant gains, pushing south along the Dnipro River toward Kherson city, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

With a focus on the counteroffensive in the southern region of Kherson, Ukraine has launched an unexpected operation in the northeast, recapturing the northeastern part of the Kharkiv region and pushing east into Donbas.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank, Ukraine has regained around 1,150 square miles in five days starting Sept. 6 – more territory than Russian forces have captured since April. Ukraine retook several vital cities, like Kupiansk and Vovchansk, which connect the Russian military base across the border in Belgorod to the frontlines of the Donbas. Another crucial liberated city is Izyum, which Russia used as a key base and resupply route. The prewar population of 46,000 shrunk to around 15,000 people in the city during the course of war. The capture of Izyum will likely make it harder for Russians to strike from artillery along the Izyum-Slovyansk highway.

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