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On Saturday, as Ukrainian forces advanced quickly, Moscow abruptly withdrew from its key stronghold in northeastern Ukraine, causing one of the war’s main front lines to collapse.
Since its soldiers were ejected from Kyiv’s capital in March, Moscow’s rapid defeat at Izium in Kharkiv province represents one of its biggest setbacks. As thousands of Russian forces retreated, they abandoned ammo caches and other supplies, which could prove to be a crucial turning point in the six-month-old conflict.
A months-long attack from the north on the neighbouring Donbas region, which is made up of Donetsk and Luhansk, was one of Russian forces’ key assaults, and Izium served as the logistical hub.
The Russian defence ministry, according to the state-run TASS news agency, has ordered troops to leave the area and reinforce operations elsewhere in neighbouring Donetsk.
According to TASS, the head of Russia’s administration in Kharkiv advised residents to evacuate the province and flee to Russia in order to “save lives.” Witnesses reported traffic jams of cars leaving Russian-controlled territory.
Ukrainian leaders welcomed Russia’s withdrawal.
According to him, Ukraine’s armed forces have liberated approximately 2,000 square kilometres (770 square miles) of territory since launching a counter-offensive against Russia earlier this month.
Ukrainian officials did not confirm recapture of Izium, but Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, posted a photo of troops on its outskirts and tweeted a grape emoji. The name of the city translates as “raisin.”
“The Russian army claims the title of the world’s fastest army… keep running!” Later, Yermak wrote on Twitter.
The Russian withdrawal announcement came just hours after Ukrainian troops captured Kupiansk, the only railway hub supplying Russia’s entire front line in northeastern Ukraine. Ukrainian officials shared photos of their troops raising the country’s blue-and-yellow flag in front of Kupiansk City Hall early Saturday.
This cut off thousands of Russian troops from supplies along a front that has seen some of the war’s most intense battles.
There were signs of trouble for Russia elsewhere along its remaining positions on the eastern front, with pro-Russian officials admitting to problems elsewhere.
According to Zelenskiy, Ukrainian armed forces are continuing to advance in various areas along the front.
Mechanized Assault
Kyiv’s forces broke through the front line days ago and have since recaptured dozens of towns and villages in a swift mechanised assault, surging forward dozens of kilometres (miles) per day.
Russian forces had already left Balakliia days before.
Hanna Malyar, the deputy minister of defence for Ukraine, issued a caution and urged people not to prematurely report that cities had been “taken” just because Ukrainian military had entered, like in the case of Balakliia.
“It was reported a few days ago that troops had entered the town. Today, we finally established control in the city, completed all necessary activities, and raised the flag “she stated.
Reuters saw burnt-out vehicles bearing the “Z” symbol of Russia’s invasion in Hrakove, one of dozens of villages recaptured in the Ukrainian advance. Boxes of ammunition were scattered along with trash at positions that the Russians had clearly abandoned in haste.
Volodymyr Tymoshenko, the regional police chief, said Ukrainian police moved in the day before and checked the identities of local residents who had been under Russian occupation since the second day of the invasion.
“The first function is to provide them with the assistance they require. The following task is to document the crimes committed by Russian invaders on the territories they temporarily occupied “He stated.
‘Russia Is Withdrawing’
A witness in Valuyki, a town in Russia’s Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border, told Reuters she saw families from Kupiansk eating and sleeping in their cars along roads.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said officials were providing food and medical aid to people queuing at a border crossing into Russia. Senator Andrey Turchak of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party reported over 400 vehicles at the border.
According to Ukrainian officials, Russian rocket fire hit Kharkiv city on Saturday evening, killing at least one person and damaging several homes, as part of a surge in shelling since Kyiv’s counter-offensive.
Russia’s abrupt abandonment of the front line south of Kharkiv city marked the end of a period in which the war was fought as a relentless grind on a static front, favouring Moscow’s advantage in raw firepower.
