WHAT'S HAPPENING ?
Ukrainian troops have inflicted a "major operational defeat" on Russian forces, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Russia confirmed it had withdrawn from the key towns of Izyum and Kupiansk on Saturday, saying that the retreat would allow its troops to "regroup".
Both towns were major logistical hubs for Russian forces in Donbas. Russian troops had been trying to advance towards Kramatorsk and Slovyansk. Izyum in particular was one of the most fortified sections of the Russian front line. Ukraine said it had retaken more than 3,000 sq km (1,158 sq miles) from Russian forces.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO DONBAS NOW ?
The Russian withdrawal is certainly the most dramatic reverse that we've seen from the Russians since they retreated from Kyiv in April.
The ISW said Ukraine now controls almost all of the Kharkiv region and the advance had ended the prospect that Russia could capture the whole of Donbas in the current stage of the war. Previously, Russian officials had said their forces were fighting for the "complete liberation" of the Donbas.
COUNTER ATTACK IN THE SOUTH
Ukraine says it has continued to attack Russian positions near Kherson, targeting Russian transportation and logistics facilities.
Reports suggest Ukrainian troops have made gains at several locations on the Russian front line in recent weeks.
They have also attacked bridges, ferries and pontoons, attempting to make Russian positions of the west side of the Dnieper River unsustainable, and thereby force a withdrawal.
More than 5,800 Russian soldiers have died since August 29, according to Ukrainian officials, who claim that their counteroffensive in the east started in September.
Nearly 400 of the Russian losses have been verified by independent experts who combed through images and videos on social media.
SIGNIFICANCE
Exactly 200 days ago, a belligerent Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine, hoping for a Taliban-style lightning takeover of the prized capital city of Kyiv.
But little did President Vladimir Putin know that a spirited Ukrainian resistance supported by Western artillery-would test his forces like never before. Now, as the war nears its 7th month, Russia is starting to unravel while Ukraine emerging as the stronger side of the two.
Putin's overconfidence
The psychological impact of the war weighs just as heavily on Russia as the physical toll on the ground.
In the early days of the Russian blitzkrieg, Putin was looking to make short work of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and overwhelm Kyiv with brute force. But Ukraine's unyielding fighting spirit upended those plans and cut Putin's ambition down to size.
Moreover, Putin did not expect the unprecedented support Ukraine would get from the West as the war progressed.
The initial overconfidence cost Putin in the long run. The President found himself at the point of no return and was forced to recalibrate his war goals more than once to emerge as a "winner".
War fatigue
With months of taxing battle and a difficult winter ahead, war fatigue is gradually kicking in and impacting the prospects of both sides. French researcher Bruno Tertrais of the Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS) recently said "the chances of Russian military fatigue are much higher than Ukrainian military fatigue".
This is mainly because Ukraine is fighting to defend its territory against all odds while Russian troops are doing the bidding of Kremlin.
Now, with thousands of Russian military personnel killed and no significant gain in offensive operations in the last few weeks, the troops might be nearing a point of exhaustion.
