Day 202 Roundup: Russian Officials Call on Putin to Resign; Kharkiv Again Without Electricity

Facts

• In the wake of a hasty Russian withdrawal, as Ukraine's counteroffensive in Kharkiv continues, as many as 49 municipal deputies in Russia have signed a petition calling on Pres. Vladimir Putin to resign. The petition, tweeted by a St. Petersburg municipal deputy, Ksenia Tortstrom, makes no mention of the war in Ukraine but says Putin's actions 'harm the future of Russia and its citizens.'¹
• As Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his latest address claimed the counterattack has now retaken 2.3K sq mi (6K sq km), Vitaly Ganchev, a Russian-appointed official in Kharkiv, claimed Ukrainian troops in the region outnumbered Russia's by eight to one.²
• Another Russian official in the region, Maxim Gubin, claimed 60K residents had been evacuated to Russian-controlled territories, while 60K remained. He said: 'We thought we would have at least two or three more days to make the evacuation of the civilian population more controlled, safer. The Ukrainian side did not give us this opportunity.' He further claimed Russian troops have now strengthened in the region and that the situation had stabilized.³
• Meanwhile, many parts of the Kharkiv region were again without electricity on Tues., as renewed Russian strikes targeted the power grid. Ukrainian officials said one person was killed and nine more were injured in the attacks, while one other was reportedly killed by a Russian mine.⁴
• Continued Russian shelling was also reported in the regions of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk, where Ukrainian officials said five civilians were killed and 10 more were injured. Pro-Russia separatists in the region said one civilian was killed and five more were injured in Ukrainian shelling.⁵
• At the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Gross said a second backup power line had been restored, enabling reactor cooling functions to continue. Meanwhile, Russian officials in the ZNPP's satellite city of Enerhodar reported a large buildup of Ukrainian troops across the Dnieper River, alleging that an attack was being coordinated.⁶

Sources: ¹Newsweek, ²BBC News, ³Interfax.ru, ⁴Ukrayinska Pravda (a), ⁵Ukrayinska Pravda (b) and ⁶UKRINFORM.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Atlantic. The stunning advance of Ukraine's armed forces in Kharkiv – including the recapturing of Izium, Kupianst, and other logistically important cities – is a masterstroke of military planning. Ukraine may have just turned the whole complexion of the war.
• Narrative B, as provided by BBC News. Kyiv still faces hurdles in winning this war. While Ukraine's surprise counterattack in the north-east should be celebrated, going on the offensive could be costly. It takes a greater toll on ammunition, equipment, and troops, and extending supply lines as Ukrainians advance puts them at greater risk of being attacked or cut-off.