Kiev, Sept. 12, (dpa/GNA) - Ukrainian fighters have recaptured more than 20 localities in the last 24 hours as their rapid advance in the east continues, Kiev said early Monday.
“The liberation of localities under Russian occupation in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions continues,” the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a situation report.
Velykyi Burluk and Dvorichna, two communities of size in the north of the Kharkiv region, have been abandoned by Russian forces, the report said.
Under pressure from Ukrainian counteroffensives, Russia’s Defence Ministry announced the withdrawal of troops from Kharkiv at the weekend, more than half a year after the start of the war.
The official reason given was a strategic “regrouping” of the units.
On Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the strategically important town of Izyum, which had been fought over earlier in war, had been retaken.
Videos emerged from the town that showed Ukrainian soldiers raising the national flag.
According to the Ukrainian general staff, Russian troops have also left the small town of Svatov in the Luhansk region, although separatist-aligned militias are still in action.
“In the face of Ukrainian advances, Russia has likely ordered the withdrawal of its troops from the entirety of occupied Kharkiv Oblast west of the Oskil River,” a British defence intelligence update said on Monday.
“Isolated pockets of resistance remain in this sector, but since Wednesday, Ukraine has recaptured territory at least twice the size of Greater London,” it continued.
“The rapid Ukrainian successes have significant implications for Russia’s overall operational design. The majority of the force in Ukraine is highly likely being forced to prioritise emergency defensive actions.”
GNA