Ukraine's military said it took back more than 700 square miles from Russia in less than 3 days

Ukrainian army soldiers sit on an armor military vehicle on September 8, 2022.

Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo

• Ukraine's army said it has tripled the amount of land taken back from Russian forces. 
• Ukraine said Sunday it had taken back 1,158 square miles, compared to 386 square miles on Thursday.
• Russian troops have retreated from areas of Kharkiv during Ukraine's counteroffensive.

Ukraine said that it tripled the amount of land it has taken back from Russian forces over less than three days.

President Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Ukraine had retaken 386 square miles (1,000 square kilometers) of land back from Russia since the start of September.

Then on Saturday, he said this had increased to around 772 square miles (2,000 square kilometers).

And on Sunday, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Ukraine had retaken around 1,158 square miles (3,000 square kilometers) of Russian-occupied territory so far this month.

Insider is unable to verify the figures, and Ukraine has not allowed media on its front lines since it began its counteroffensive.

But Russia has confirmed that its troops withdraw from and Izyum and Kupiansk in the Kharkiv Oblast. 

And the UK Ministry of Defence said on Sunday that Ukraine has "continued to make significant gains in the Kharkiv region" and that Russia had "likely withdrawn units from the area," though it said Russia was still fighting in some of the region's cities.

UK think tank the Institute for the Study of War said that the territory square kilometers taken by Ukraine so far this month was "more territory than Russian forces have captured in all their operations since April."

Ukraine has repeatedly said that aims to retake all of its land from Russia, and it has been a core goal of the Ukrainian army to recapture Kharkiv. 

Writing on the official Telegram channel, Mariupol city council has suggested the Ukrainian forces may be preparing for a "quick breakthrough" to Volnovakha and Mariupol, and have said that "Mariupol is waiting."

Also according to officials on Telegram, Ukraine states they have recaptured Kozacha Lopan a town three kilometers from the Ukraine-Russia border. 

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