- Hugo Bachega, Kyiv – Matt Murphy, London
- BBC News
Last update 34 minutes ago
A Ukrainian soldier stands next to a Russian vehicle marked Z in the Kharkiv region on Friday
Russian forces withdrew from key towns in eastern Ukraine, where a rapid Ukrainian counterattack made further gains.
Ukrainian officials said troops entered the city of Kobyansk on Saturday, a vital supply center for Russian forces in the east of the country.
And the Ukrainian special forces published pictures on social media, which they said showed their members in the town.
The Russian Defense Ministry told state media that its forces had withdrawn from the nearby town of Izium to allow their “regroupment”.
The ministry also confirmed the withdrawal of troops from the main town of Balaklya in order to “strengthen efforts” on the Donetsk front.
“A three-day operation was carried out to reduce the number of forces of the (Izyum Balaklya) group and their organized transfer to the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the statement said.
The Ukrainian advance, if maintained, will be the most significant since Russia withdrew from the areas around Kiev last April.
This development may be used as a signal that the Ukrainian army can retake the territories occupied by Russia, while the country continues to seek military support from the West.
For Russia, this would be a humiliating setback, as its forces invaded the region in the first week of the war.
photo released, Getty Images
Ukrainian tank advancing towards recaptured areas
Earlier on Saturday, British military officials said Ukrainian forces had advanced 50 km into territory formerly under Russian control.
The British Ministry of Defense said: “Russian forces were probably surprised. The sector was under weak (Russian) control, and Ukrainian units captured or besieged several towns.”
Ukraine launched its counterattack in the east earlier this week, while international attention was focused on an expected advance near the southern city of Kherson.
Analysts believe that Russia has redirected some of its most experienced forces to defend the city.
A Ukrainian official said its forces were making gains in the south, as well as making gains in the east.
They advanced “between two and several tens of kilometers” along that front, Natalia Gomynyuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian army’s Southern Command, said.
But the Russian forces fighting on the southern front are believed to have moved into defensive positions, and Ukrainian forces have faced stiff resistance since the offensive began.
Ukrainian officials posted a photo on social media that appears to show Ukrainian forces raising the country’s flag in front of the Kobyansk city hall, with the Russian flag under their feet.
“We are moving forward. We clearly know what we are fighting for and we will surely win,” the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, General Valery Zaloghny, wrote in a Facebook update on Friday followingnoon.
Speaking from Kyiv during his evening address, Zelensky said his forces were “gradually taking over new settlements”, “returning the Ukrainian flag and protecting all our people.”
Earlier on Saturday, the Russia-appointed head of the Kharkiv region, Vitaly Ganchev, said his forces had begun evacuating civilians from Kobyansk and Izyum.
Speaking in Brussels on Friday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the attack was “clearly making real progress”.
“I think we can say that Ukraine is proceeding in a very thoughtful way, with a solid plan that is critically enabled by the resources that many of us provide,” Blinken said.
Zelensky also said during his speech that national police units are returning to liberated settlements, and urged civilians to report suspected Russian war crimes to them.
His call followed a report from the United Nations Monitoring Team in Ukraine, which said they had “documented a range of abuses once morest prisoners of war” by Russian forces.
The report also accused the Ukrainian forces of committing “cases of torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war.”
Despite the optimism in the East, Zelensky noted in his speech that “fierce battles” continued in the Donbass.
photo released, Getty Images
Ukrainian soldier in a recaptured area
Surprise visit
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Annalina Barbock arrived in Kyiv on Saturday for a surprise visit, which she said showed Berlin’s commitment to supporting Ukraine in its defense once morest the Russian invasion.
“I traveled to Kyiv today to show that they can continue to count on us,” Barbuk said. “We will continue to stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary, with the delivery of arms, humanitarian and financial support,” she added.
On Friday, Zelensky awarded the Order of Merit, Ukraine’s highest honor, to Haluk Bayraktar – the head of the Turkish drone manufacturer Bayraktar.
The company’s TB2 combat drone, which can carry four missiles, has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
photo released, REUTERS/UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
Mr. Zelensky awarded the Order of Merit to Mr. Bayraktar on Friday
While Ankara has sought to play the role of mediator between Kyiv and Moscow since the outbreak of the conflict, Bayraktar refused to supply Russia with weapons, telling CNN in August, “We support Ukraine, we support its sovereignty and its resistance in order to defend its independence.”
