Kyiv: Ukrainian authorities on Saturday claimed that Russian troops are withdrawing from the country’s second-largest city Kharkiv after weeks of heavy bombardment in what they described as another setback for Moscow in the battlefield, Al Jazeera reported.
Ukraine’s military said on Saturday the Russians were pulling back from the major northeastern city and focusing on guarding supply routes.
The spokesman for the Ukrainian General Staff said that “The enemy’s main efforts are now focused on ensuring the withdrawal of its units from the city of Kharkiv”.
This was seconded by western officials who said that Ukrainian forces had driven Russian forces back from around Kharkiv, which had been a key target for Russian troops.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed this in his daily video address, saying that “The gradual liberation of the Kharkiv region proves that we will not leave anyone to the enemy,” he said.
