Ukraine’s security service announced on Saturday that its units had entered the city of Kobyansk, in the first official confirmation from Kyiv that its forces had entered the Russian-occupied northeastern city.
Ukraine made quick gains in a surprise counteroffensive northeast of the Kharkiv region, where it deeply bypassed Russian lines.
Ukrainian authorities released images on Saturday showing soldiers raising the country’s flag in the city, which is the hub of a major railway used to deliver equipment to Russian forces in northeastern Ukraine, where a collapse on the Russian front has led to a collapse. Becomes.
As the Ukrainians entered the city of Kobyansk, where railways connect Russia and eastern Ukraine, advances along Moscow’s logistics corridor have increased, possibly trapping thousands of Russian troops.
Natalya Popova, adviser to the head of the Kharkiv City Council, shared photos on Facebook of soldiers waving the Ukrainian flag in front of the Kobyansk City Council. The Russian flag appeared at their feet. In the description of these photos, he wrote: “Kobiansk is Ukrainian. Salute to the armed forces of Ukraine.”
In Hrakow, one of dozens of villages retaken, Reuters reporters saw burnt-out cars bearing the symbol of Russia’s Operation Z and piles of rubbish and ammunition at sites hastily abandoned by the Russians.
Messages were spray-painted on the walls, including “Hello everyone, we’re from Russia.”
The head of the local police, Volodymyr Tymoshenko, said that Ukrainian police had taken action the previous day and checked the identities of local residents.
He explained: “The first task is to provide them with the help they need. The next task is to document the crimes of the Russians in the areas they have temporarily occupied.”
The capture of at least part of Kobyansk by Ukrainian forces, if confirmed, would likely trap thousands of Russian troops on the front lines and deprive them of supplies. Reuters was unable to independently investigate the situation in the city.
Ukraine has seized swathes of territory in the east in recent days, its fastest advance since repelling a Russian attack on the capital, Kyiv, in March.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video speech last night that at least 30 towns in the Kharkiv region had been liberated.
Moscow admitted that its war front in Kharkiv had been shaken, but said it was rushing to send additional troops to bolster the region.
Vitaly Yanchev, head of Russia’s appointed administration in the occupied territories of Kharkiv, described the advance as a “victory for Ukraine” and urged civilians to flee.
Source: Lebanon Debate
