Ukrainian troops have in recent days pushed Russian forces out of a number of settlements in the region held by Moscow since the first days of its invasion. In a video address late Friday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had liberated more than 30 settlements in the Kharkiv region. Vitaly Gadchev, the head of the Russian-backed administration in the Kharkiv region, told state television that many villages had come under the control of Ukrainian armed formations and said his government was trying to “evacuate” civilians from towns including Izium, of main Russia. logistics base in the province, where British officials described Russian forces as “increasingly isolated”. A local resident of Izium, who prefers to remain anonymous, told the Guardian that Ukrainian troops entered the town. Before that, “Russian occupation forces were rapidly withdrawing, leaving behind ammunition and equipment.” Images flooding social media showed Ukrainian forces inside the town of Izium, and Russian observers of the conflict said there were early reports that Moscow’s army had already withdrawn. The recapture of Izium is perhaps Ukraine’s most significant success in repelling the Russians since the beginning of the invasion. Izium has been seen for centuries as the gateway to the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine and, from there, to the Black Sea. The Russians called the area around it the Izium pass. Its strategic location means Izium has become a fierce battleground in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Moscow has used it as a launch pad for its offensive against Ukrainian forces in the Donbass. It fell fully to Russian forces on April 1, trapping thousands of civilians in a city where 80% of its homes have been destroyed. “We managed to cut the supply lines for the Russian formations controlling the Izium region,” said Serhiy Kuzan, a military expert at the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, who has direct knowledge of the events in Kharkiv. Kuzan said the Russian formations in charge of the southeastern region of Kharkiv, dubbed the Izium region by military experts, were professional Russian soldiers, not mercenaries or conscripts from Russian-held Donbas. “Ukrainian troops are advancing into eastern Ukraine, liberating more towns and villages. Their courage combined with Western military support is bringing amazing results,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on social media. Ukrainian officials shared photos on Saturday showing troops raising the nation’s flag over Kupiansk, where railway lines connecting Russia with eastern Ukraine converge and which have, in recent months, supplied Russian forces in northeastern Ukraine. “Kupiansk is Ukraine. Glory to the armed forces of Ukraine,” said Natalya Popova, adviser to the head of the Kharkiv regional council. The capture of Kupyansk leaves potentially thousands of Russian soldiers trapped on the front lines and cut off from supplies “The reason why Kupiansk is so important is because it is the major rail hub that feeds the Izium formations,” Kuzan said. “We saw Russian troops leaving en masse yesterday. Now they are trying to reinforce their positions by airdropping reserves, but this is very unfeasible as the reserves are not prepared,” Kuzan said. The UK Ministry of Defense said Ukraine’s counterattack caught Russian forces by surprise, adding that Kiev forces had advanced 50 kilometers (31 miles) along a narrow front line and recaptured or encircled several towns. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. “With Ukrainian operations also continuing in Kherson, the Russian defensive front is under pressure on both its northern and southern flanks,” the statement said. “We are really surprised by how badly the Russians have retreated,” Kuzan said. “Retreat is part of the art of war. When we retreated, we made sure that they suffered casualties as they advanced and we did it to ensure that they advanced only 1, 2, 3 kilometers. “They were so confident that they didn’t prepare their defenses,” Kuzan said. “This showed that the only advantage they have is in the number of artillery and heavy equipment. So all we need is the same amount.” On Saturday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Moscow was withdrawing forces from Balaklia and Izium and would regroup in the Donetsk region. According to the Ukrainian military, Russia is also sending 1,300 Chechen fighters to the southern region of Kherson. It comes as Western intelligence suggests Russian forces in Kherson are under continued pressure from Ukrainian attacks. For weeks, Ukrainian officials had telegraphed plans for a planned counteroffensive in the southern Kherson region, but the main focus of this week’s counteroffensive was Kharkiv in the northeast, taking everyone by surprise, apparently including the Russians. Moscow responded by firing rockets into the city center, according to local officials, who said at least 10 people, including three children, were wounded in an attack that Zelensky’s chief of staff condemned as revenge for Ukraine’s success on the ground battle. Despite gains by Ukraine’s armed forces, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the war was entering a critical period and urged Ukraine’s Western backers to continue their support through a difficult winter. Agence France-Presse, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
