Ukraine war LIVE: Major victory for Kyiv as it retakes huge swathes of occupied territory
Ukraine has liberated more than half of the previously Russian-occupied territory on its soil, the departing top US general has said.Speaking at his final Ukraine Defence Contact Group, where western allies meet to discuss military aid to Kyiv, General Mark Milley praised the efforts of soldiers in repelling Russia during their "special military operation".He reported that Ukraine has liberated more than 54 percent of Russian-held territory as of September 19, though he did not specify whether that includes areas seized by pro-Kremlin militias in 2014 or just those taken and recaptured since the full-scale invasion last February.While the ongoing counteroffensive, now in its fourth month, has yielded marginal, though not insignificant territorial gains, the Ukrainian effort to repel Russia forces beyond this latest stage of the war is astounding.Gen Milley's comments come a year after Ukraine liberated Kharkiv Oblast in the northeast, a sweeping feat that was quickly followed by the recapture of much of Kherson Oblast north of the Dnipro River.FOLLOW BELOW FOR LIVE UPDATES...