Ukrainian officials yesterday shared photographs showing troops raising the nation’s flag over the city housing the main railway hub that has supplied Russian forces in northeastern Ukraine, as a collapse in Russia’s front line threatened to turn into a rout.
Natalia Popova, adviser to the head of the Kharkiv regional council, shared photos on Facebook of troops in front of Kupiansk city hall with a message: “Kupiansk is Ukraine. Glory to the armed forces of Ukraine.”
The soldiers are seen holding up a Ukrainian flag with a Russian flag at their feet and Ukrainian flags flying from city hall behind them.
Photo: Reuters
The city, where rail lines into eastern Ukraine converge on the trunk line from Russia, would be the most important prize yet in a stunning Ukrainian breakthrough this week, after Russia’s front line crumbled near the city of Kharkiv.
The capture of Kupiansk potentially leaves thousands of Russian soldiers trapped at the front line and cut off from supplies.
Ukraine has seized a huge swathe of territory in the east in the past few days in the fastest advance since it defeated the Russian assault on the capital Kyiv in March.
In an overnight video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that at least 30 settlements had been liberated in the Kharkiv region.
“Our army, intelligence units and the security services are carrying out active engagements in several operational areas. They are doing so successfully,” he said in a video address.
Moscow has acknowledged that its front line has buckled in Kharkiv, but has said it is rushing extra troops to reinforce the area.
The head of the Russian-installed administration in the province’s occupied areas has described the advance as a Ukrainian victory and called for civilians to flee.
Ukraine has so far kept independent journalists away from the area, but officials have released a barrage of images of troops sweeping into previously Russian-held towns and being embraced by local residents who had been under Russian military occupation for six months.
The Ukrainian advance threatens to encircle thousands of Russian troops in Izium, the main Russian stronghold and logistics base in the northeast sector of the front.
Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to Zelenskiy, in a video posted on YouTube, said the Russians in Izium were almost isolated.
Citing what he described as reports from the front line, Arestovych said hundreds of Russians had died so far and several hundred more had been taken prisoner.
Reuters was not able to immediately verify reports describing the situation in Izium.
The Russian-installed head of the Kharkiv occupation administration, Vitaly Ganchev, included Izium among cities where he said civilians should evacuate.
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