Zelensky’s comments, in a video released by his office, came hours after Moscow said it was withdrawing its troops from part of the Kharkiv region, where Ukrainian forces have taken control of significant territory in recent days. “The Russian military these days is showing what it can do best – showing its back,” the president said. “And, of course, it’s a good decision for them to run.” THIS IS AN UPDATE UPDATE. Previous AP story follows below. KYIV, Ukraine — Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday it is withdrawing troops from two areas in Ukraine’s eastern Kharkiv region, where a Ukrainian counteroffensive has made significant advances in the past week. The news came after days of apparent incursions from Ukraine south of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, in what could become the biggest battlefield success for Ukrainian forces since they thwarted a Russian attempt to seize the capital, Kyiv, at the beginning of the nearly seven-month war. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said troops would be regrouped from the Balaklia and Izium districts in the eastern Donetsk region. Izyum has been an important base for Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, and earlier this week videos on social media showed residents of Balakliya cheering happily as Ukrainian troops moved in. Konashenkov said the Russian move was made “to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to liberate Donbas,” one of the regions of eastern Ukraine that Russia has declared sovereign. The withdrawal claim for a rally in Donetsk is similar to the justification Russia gave for withdrawing its forces from the Kiev region earlier this year when they failed to take the capital. Earlier on Saturday, Ukrainian officials claimed significant gains in the Kharkiv region, saying their troops had cut off vital supplies to Izyum. Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko also suggested that troops had recaptured Kupiansk, a town along the main supply route to Izyum, centered on the Russian front and the site of heavy artillery and other fighting. Nikolenko tweeted a photo showing soldiers in front of a government building in Kupiansk, 73 kilometers (45 miles) north of Izyum. The Ukrainian Security Service released a message hours later saying troops were in Kupiansk, further suggesting it had been taken. The military did not immediately confirm the entry into the city, a rail hub seized by Russia in February. Video on social media appeared to show Ukrainian forces on the outskirts of Izyum at a roadside checkpoint. A large statue bearing the name of the city could be seen in the images. Ukrainian forces did not recognize the city’s occupation. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Saturday it believed Ukrainian troops had advanced up to 50km south of Kharkiv and described Russian forces around Izyum as “increasingly isolated”. “The Russian forces were probably taken by surprise. The sector was lightly held and Ukrainian units captured or surrounded several towns,” the British military said, adding that the loss of Kupiansk would greatly affect Russian supply lines. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, also cited Ukraine’s sweeping gains, estimating that Kyiv has seized about 2,500 square kilometers (965 square miles) in its east. The institute said it appeared that “disorganized Russian forces (were) in Ukraine’s rapid advance” and cited images on social media of what appeared to be Russian prisoners seized around Izyum and surrounding towns. The same report said Ukrainian forces “may collapse Russian positions around Izyum if they cut Russian land lines of communication” north and south of the city. Vladislav Sokolov, the Russian-appointed head of the local administration, said on social media that authorities in Izyum had begun evacuating residents to Russia. The fighting in eastern Ukraine comes amid an ongoing offensive around Kherson in the south. Analysts say Russia may have taken troops from the east to reinforce the latter region, offering the Ukrainians an opportunity to strike a weakened front line. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Ukraina TV channel that the Russians had no food or fuel for their troops in the region as Kyiv had cut off their supply lines. “It will be like an avalanche,” he said, predicting a Russian comeback. “A line of defense will shake and fall.” The Ukrainian military was more circumspect, claiming it had taken “more than 1,000 square kilometers” (386 square miles) from pro-Kremlin forces this week. He said that “in some areas, units of the Defense Forces have penetrated enemy defenses to a depth of 50 kilometers,” according to the British estimate, but did not disclose geographic details. Officials in Kyiv have for weeks kept tight-lipped plans for a counteroffensive to retake territory seized from Russia early in the war, urging residents to refrain from sharing information on social media. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that troops have retaken more than 30 settlements in the Kharkiv region since the counteroffensive began. “We are gradually taking control of more settlements, returning the Ukrainian flag and protection for our people,” Zelensky said. He spoke after the Ukrainian governor of Kharkiv said the national flag had been raised over Balaklia, which was recaptured by Ukrainian troops on Thursday after six months of occupation. “Balaklia is Ukraine!” Governor Oleh Syniehubov said in a Telegram post. Elsewhere, Ukrainian emergency services said a 62-year-old woman was killed in a Russian missile attack in the Kharkiv region when her house was leveled overnight. Sinyekhubov also accused Moscow of hammering settlements recaptured from Kyiv. He said via Telegram that five civilians were treated in the Izyum area, while nine others were injured elsewhere in the area. In the war-torn Donbass, the Ukrainian governor said civilians were killed and wounded overnight by Russian shelling near the town of Bakhmut, a key target of the stalled Russian offensive. Pavlo Kyrylenko told Telegram that two people were killed and two injured in Bakhmut and the neighboring village of Yahidne. In the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar, home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, electricity and water have been restored after a four-day outage due to an explosion, the city’s Ukrainian mayor, Dmytro Orlov, said. Enerhodar and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant have been repeatedly bombed in recent weeks by Russia and Ukraine. The bombing has raised fears of a radioactive leak at the plant, which has been cut off from outside power sources. the facility was forced to rely on power from its only functioning reactor for cooling systems and other safety measures. Orloff said plant workers helped restore power to Enerhodar, but it was unclear whether the electricity came from the plant or a nearby thermal power plant. Also on Saturday, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made an unannounced visit to Kyiv and said Europe would not tire of helping Ukraine, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to increase pressure by withholding energy supplies. Baerbock said Germany would help Ukraine find and remove mines and other unexploded ordnance left by Russian troops in areas where they have been pushed back. Despite Ukraine’s gains, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and the head of NATO warned on Friday that the war would likely drag on for months. Blinken said the conflict was entering a critical period and urged Western backers of Ukraine to continue their support through a difficult winter.
Kozlowska reported from London. Associated Press writer Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.
Follow all AP stories on the war in Ukraine at
