Tuesday 20 September 2022 07:29 AM Ukraine liberates first Luhansk village as US sends $600 million to help ... trends now

Ukraine has captured its first village in Luhansk as its counter-offensive presses further into Russia-occupied territory, refusing to slow after snatching back thousands of miles in east Ukraine from the Russian war machine.

The occupied country said its troops have marched farther east into territory recently abandoned by Russia after its six-month campaign, paving the way for a potential assault on Moscow's occupation forces in the Donbas region as Kyiv seeks more Western arms.

The village lies only a dozen or so miles from the towns of Lysychansk and Severdonestsk, regions that took Russia five months to conquer — with the Ukrainian army stating its intent to take back all of Luhansk, much of which has been occupied since 2014.

In a sign of nervousness from a Moscow-backed administration in Donbas about the success of Ukraine's recent offensive, its leader called for urgent referendums on the region becoming part of Russia.

'The occupiers are clearly in a panic,' Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a televised address late on Monday, adding that he was now focused on 'speed' in liberated areas.

'The speed at which our troops are moving. The speed in restoring normal life,' Zelensky said.

On Thursday, the Biden administration announced it was sending another $600 million in military aid to Ukraine.

The White House said it was the 21st time that the Defense Department has pulled weapons and other equipment off the shelves to deliver to Ukraine.

The package will include more of the same types of ammunition and equipment that have helped Ukrainian forces beat back the Russian forces in portions of the east and south.

'With admirable grit and determination, the people of Ukraine are defending their homeland and fighting for their future,' said Antony Blinken, Secretary of State.

'The capabilities we are delivering are carefully calibrated to make the most difference on the battlefield and strengthen Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table when the time is right.'

He tweeted: 'I have directed another $600 million drawdown to expedite our 21st shipment of arms and equipment from @DeptofDefense inventories to Ukraine, as its defenders push back Russian invasion forces. The United States stands #UnitedWithUkraine.'

The decision to move on new aid quickly - on the heels of a nearly $2.9 billion infusion of aid and financing support announced last week and more than $3 billion announced in late August - underscore the U.S. intent to ensure that Ukraine can sustain its stunning counterattack that was launched early this month.

That most recent funding included $2.2 billion in long-term military financing announced that Blinken announced during a visit to Ukraine last week, and a $675 million weapons package announced by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Europe that same day.

The $2.2 billion that Blinken announced in Kyiv is for Ukraine and 18 of its neighbors, including NATO members and regional security partners, that are potentially at risk of future Russian aggression, the U.S. said.

Moscow's recent rout in northeast Ukraine was its largest military defeat since the withdrawal of Russian troops from areas near Kyiv more than five months ago.

The latest package of weapons systems brings the total amount of U.S. aid to Ukraine to nearly $15.9 billion since President Joe Biden took office.

U.S. officials watching the counteroffensive have been careful not to declare a premature victory, noting that Russia still has substantial troops and resources. 

And they are wary of what Russian President Vladimir Putin may do to turn the tide.

But U.S. leaders also have made clear that the precision weapons and rocket systems provided by the U.S. and allies - including the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, and the High-speed

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