Russia withdraws troops as Ukraine regains territory

Russia said it was withdrawing its troops from Ukraine's eastern Kharkiv region as Kyiv announced massive territorial gains in its lightning counteroffensive.

A Moscow-backed separatist leader in the east said Russian forces were fighting "tough" battles against Kyiv troops in several parts of the eastern Donetsk region.

A Ukrainian official also said Kyiv troops were closing in on the eastern town of Lysychansk, captured by Russian troops after fierce artillery battles in July.

Moscow's Saturday night announcement of the rollback, alongside Kyiv's assertion of having entered the city of Kupiansk, are the most significant changes in the dynamics of the battlefield after months of fighting in the eastern Ukraine dominated by Moscow.

"A decision has been taken to regroup Russian troops stationed in the Balakliya and Izyum regions to strengthen efforts along the Donetsk front," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The news of the withdrawal came just after Ukrainian special forces posted images on social media showing officers in camouflage uniforms with automatic weapons "in Kupiansk", a city of around 27,000 people.< /p>

Ukrainian troops have also liberated Vasylenkovo ​​and Artemivka in the Kharkiv region, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening speech on Saturday.

"In recent days, the Russian military has shown us its best (side) - its back," he said. “There is no place in Ukraine for the occupiers. There never will be," he added.

Speaking separately at the annual European Strategy Forum in Yalta, Zelensky said that Russia is "doing everything to break the resistance of Ukraine, Europe and the world during the 90 days of this winter (coming soon)", counting on a possible weakening of the West. support for Kyiv due to rising energy prices and heating problems.

"That's their last argument," he said.

Observers expect Ukrainian forces to make further gains in the Kharkiv region, which borders Russia and is either controlled by Moscow-backed authorities or bombarded by its artillery for months.< /p>

– "Amazing" lead –

There was no official confirmation that troops from Kyiv had also routed Russian forces from Izyum - an important staging ground for Moscow's war effort with a population of around 45,000 before the invasion.

But footage flooding social media appeared to show Ukrainian forces in the city, and Russian observers of the conflict said there were initial reports that Moscow's military had already withdrawn.

“Ukrainian troops are advancing in eastern Ukraine, liberating more towns and villages. Their courage, coupled with Western military support, is yielding astonishing results,” the Foreign Ministry spokesman said. foreign, Oleg Nikolenko.

“It is crucial to continue to send weapons to Ukraine. Defeating Russia on the battlefield means winning peace in Ukraine,” he added.

The Ukrainian push seems to have caught the Russian troops largely off guard.

State media published images on Friday of Russian tanks, artillery and support vehicles heading towards Kharkiv in columns on dirt roads, aiming to send reinforcements to the area.< /p>

But a day later, Russia announced a three-day operation to redeploy its forces, moving away from Kharkiv towards the industrial region of Donbass further south.

– Gutted houses –

Capturing urban hubs like Kupiansk and Izyum would deal a serious blow to Moscow's ability to resupply its positions on the eastern frontline, and could see Russia's hold on the east severely diminished.

In a village captured by the advancing Ukrainians, electricity pylons were knocked down, cables lay on the ground and houses were gutted, AFP journalists reported.

On the way to the recaptured town of Balakliya, journalists saw abandoned Russian armor painted with the letter "Z" - a symbol of the invasion of Russia.

Ukrainian troops were also advancing along parts of the southern front line, a spokesman said on Saturday, in some areas for tens of kilometres, into territory captured by Russian troops at the start of the invasion .

Russian news agencies reported six large explosions in Nova Kakhovka, a town held by Russian troops in the southern region of Kherson.

In the eastern region of Donetsk, rebel leader Denis Pushilin said the situation in the town of Lyman was "very difficult" and that there was also fighting in "a number of other localities", especially in the northern part of the region.

– German Commitment –

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in the Ukrainian capital on Saturday for a surprise visit, which she said was meant to demonstrate Berlin's support for Ukraine.

This came a week after Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal traveled to Berlin where he repeated Kyiv's call to arms.

Baerbock has pledged to continue "weapons deliveries, and with humanitarian and financial support"....