Ukraine Army Has Re-Taken Key City Chuhuiv From Russian Control

Ukraine has recaptured Chuhuiv, one of the first cities to be overrun by Russian forces, according to defence officials.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said the defence had seized the city from Russian control, adding that two high-ranking Russian commanders had been killed in the battle.

The news was reported by the General Staff on Facebook with a post that reads: "In the course of hostilities, the city of Chuhuiv was liberated. The occupiers suffered heavy losses in personnel and equipment.

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"Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Safronov, Commander of the 61st Separate Marine Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, and Lieutenant Colonel Denis Glebov, Deputy Commander of the 11th Separate Airborne Assault Brigade of the Russian Armed Forces, were killed."

Chuhuiv, a city in Kharkiv Oblast that has a reported population of 31,861, has been rocked by air strikes and shelling following Russian President Vladimir Putin's military attack on the country.

Some of the defining pictures of the war show civilians who were wounded after an air strike damaged an apartment complex in Chuhuiv.

However, the latest news appears to confirm that Ukrainian forces have managed to reclaim the city.

The news arrives as Ukraine’s government revealed a contingency plan to guarantee a ‘continuity of government’ in case President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is killed. 

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In a recent interview, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was asked by CBS News’ Face the Nation: “And are you working on a contingency plan to support a Ukrainian government without him [Zelenskyy] at the helm?”

Blinken replied: “The Ukrainians have plans in place - that I'm not going to talk about or get into any details on - to make sure that there is what we would call ‘continuity of government’ one way or another. And let me leave it at that.”

Blinken also praised Zelenskyy and other Kyiv officials saying they are 'the embodiment of this incredibly brave Ukrainian people’. 

Zelenskyy has survived three assassination attempts since the Russian invasion began, according to reports. 

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Despite previous statements that he is the main target for the Russian military, the Ukrainian President refuses to flee the country. 

Speaking last week, he said ‘the enemy' had marked him as 'target number one... and my family as target number two'.

He added: "They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine."

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