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Over 6000 square kilometers and dozens of villages, towns, and small towns are liberated. Scenes of jubilation as the liberated population embraces the soldiers; Flags are changed at iconic locations: the world marvels at one of the most surprising and successful counter-offensives in recent military history.

Near the city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian forces had broken through the front line, causing the Russian invaders to flee in near panic.

The Kharkiv offensive is the biggest setback for warlord Vladimir Putin (69) since the failure to capture the capital Kyiv at the beginning of the war in February. In the worst armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War, there is suddenly the talk of a "turning point."

Suddenly the initially incomprehensible seems within reach: Ukraine, according to the signal, has a real chance of being able to win the war against the Russian military machine!

Selenskyj sends a strong message.

How did this spectacular advance on the bloody Donbass front come about?

US media describe planning lasting several months - which began with a word of authority from President Volodymyr Zelenskyj (44) and in which there was much closer cooperation between the Ukrainians, secret service officials, and military strategists from the USA and Great Britain.

In early summer, Selenskyj expressed to his war planners the desire for a "dramatic counterattack" in the war, which was deadlocked at the time with high casualties for both armies on the eastern flank.

Above all, he wanted to raise morale in Ukraine itself. And send a signal to the West: Supporting Ukraine with weapons and expertise could ultimately bring victory. Finally, Selenskyj wanted to give hope to Europe, which was slowly becoming war-weary.

The military planners initially focused on a major offensive near Cherson in the country's southeast: in addition to liberating the city of 280,000, Mariupol, which Russia had conquered, should also have been cut off from the occupiers, according to the calculation. But it quickly became apparent that a large-scale attack alone would have led to painfully high losses without rapid land gains. Moreover, at that time, there were reports of hundreds of dead Ukrainian soldiers daily in grueling artillery and trench warfare.

Perhaps that's why the Ukrainians, who until then had always kept a low profile when it came to strategic decisions, decided to "open up" to American and British secret service agents and "ask for advice," reports the New York Times.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan (45) and Selenskyj's top advisor Andriy Yermak were also involved in the discussions. At the military level, Chief of Staff Mark A. Milley and top commanders within the Ukraine Army exchanged views.

In Kyiv, in addition to consultations with the British, there were daily consultations between Ukrainian generals and the US defense attaché, Brigadier General Garrick Harmon. The time pressure was also evident: the offensive was to come before the first snow – above all, to forestall Putin's possible blackmail attempts against Europe by stopping gas in the winter.

According to the business games, the mission would have failed

The first war games for a massive counter-offensive were first played out on the drawing board by Ukrainians and Americans for locations in the south. The result was always sobering. According to the business games, the mission would have failed.

Zelenskyy was informed. In August, the US secret services concentrated on tapping out Russian troop strength along the front, looking for weak points. It was also noted that Moscow had deployed soldiers to the south to fend off a Ukrainian offensive there, as was expected.

Ukraine, therefore, decided on two offensives: a smaller one near Cherson in the south and the larger one near Kharkiv. Once again, Ukrainians, Americans, and Britons had the plan simulated by the computer. In the end, there was agreement: It could work.

According to a CNN report, however, the Americans had warned against overdoing themselves with too large an offensive, as troops could be pinned down on too many front sectors.

There was only one catch: the Ukraine army depended on delivering state-of-the-art weapon systems such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS). Moreover, using high-tech weapons presented another challenge, especially during the war. So far, however, the Ukrainians have destroyed more than 400 Russian weapons depots with rockets and 90-kilo warheads, often far behind the front lines.

$14.5 billion worth of weapons from the US

So far, under President Joe Biden (79), the US has delivered weapons worth $ 14.5 billion to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. Along with supplies from other western allies, war planners in Kyiv can now plan far more complex and simultaneous offensives.

The retreat of the Russians, who often left their war equipment behind and sometimes attacked on foot, is currently making the most headlines. But the offensive at Cherson is still going on. Military experts dispute that it was just a diversionary tactic. A first success there: The occupiers had to cancel the plan for a plebiscite on a connection to Russia due to the hostilities.

US officials are already providing a preview of upcoming offensives: an attempt to regain control of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, cut Russian supply lines to Mariupol, and push the Russians back across the Dnipro River are expected. Experts agree: that the decisive future battles will be fought in southern Ukraine. The Ukrainians currently have the momentum.