The war in Ukraine has entered a new phase since the counter-offensive launched on August 29 against Russian troops in the Kherson region in the south of the country. If the Russian army was expecting this, a few days later they were surprised by the launch of another Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region to the north-east. There their advance is dazzling: the Russian soldiers have fled and the city of Izioum has been recaptured.
Does this double counter-offensive mark a turning point in this war? Why did the Russian army suffer such a defeat in the Northeast? And how is this failure perceived in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin is now being criticized?
In this episode of the “L’Heure du Monde” podcast, Le Monde journalists Rémy Ourdan, special correspondent in Ukraine, and Emmanuel Grynszpan, specialist on Russia, take stock of the evolution of the conflict.
An episode by Adèle Ponticelli and Garance Muñoz. Production and music: Amandine Robillard. Presentation and Editor-in-Chief: Morgane Tual. In this episode: Excerpts from Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s speech of September 10. Excerpts from a video posted on September 11 by Vyacheslav Zadorenko, Mayor of Kozatcha Lopan, Ukraine. Excerpts from a September 13 speech by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. Excerpts from a September 12 NTV broadcast.
“The Hour of the World”
“L’Heure du Monde” is Le Monde’s daily news podcast. Listen to a new episode every day from 6am on Lemonde.fr or on Spotify. All episodes can be found here.
Learn more about the Ukrainian counteroffensive:
Also listen to War in Ukraine: Where are we?