Ukraine troops raise flag over key railway hub as Russia's frontline collapses

Ukrainian officials shared photos connected Saturday showing troops raising the nation's emblem implicit the main railway metropolis that has supplied Russian forces successful northeastern Ukraine, arsenic a illness successful Russia's frontline threatened to crook into a rout.

A Reuters writer wrong a immense country recaptured successful caller days by the advancing Ukrainian forces saw Ukrainian constabulary patrolling towns and boxes of ammunition lying successful heaps astatine positions abandoned by fleeing Russian soldiers.

With Ukrainians present having reached the metropolis of Kupiansk, wherever obstruction lines linking Russia to eastbound Ukraine converge, the beforehand had penetrated each the mode to Moscow's main logistics route, perchance trapping thousands of Russian troops.

Natalia Popova, advisor to the caput of the Kharkiv determination council, shared photos connected Facebook of troops holding up a Ukrainian emblem successful beforehand of Kupiansk metropolis hall. A Russian emblem laic astatine their feet. "Kupiansk is Ukraine. Glory to the equipped forces of Ukraine," she wrote.

In Hrakove, 1 of dozens of recaptured villages, Reuters journalists saw burnt retired vehicles bearing the "Z" awesome of Russia's invasion, and piles of rubbish and ammunition successful positions the Russians had abandoned successful evident haste.

"Hello everyone, we are from Russia," was spray painted connected a wall.

Three bodies laic successful achromatic assemblage bags successful a yard.

The determination main of police, Volodymyr Tymoshenko, said Ukrainian constabulary had moved successful the erstwhile day, and had checked the identities of section residents who had lived nether Russian concern since the invasion's 2nd day.

"The archetypal relation is to supply assistance that they need. The adjacent occupation is to papers the crimes committed by Russian invaders connected the territories which they temporarily occupied."

The seizure of astatine slightest portion of Kupiansk, if confirmed, perchance leaves thousands of Russian soldiers trapped astatine the frontline and chopped disconnected from supplies. Reuters could not independently verify the concern successful the city.

Ukraine has seized a immense swathe of territory successful the eastbound successful caller days successful its fastest beforehand since it defeated the Russian battle connected the superior Kyiv successful March.

In an overnight video address, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said astatine slightest 30 settlements had been liberated successful Kharkiv region.

"Our army, quality units and the information services are carrying retired progressive engagements successful respective operational areas. They are doing truthful successfully," helium said successful a video address.

Moscow has acknowledged that its frontline has buckled successful Kharkiv but has said it is rushing other troops to reenforce the area.

The caput of the Russian-installed medication successful the province's occupied areas, Vitaliy Ganchev, has described the beforehand arsenic a Ukrainian triumph and called for civilians to flee.

Ukrainian officials person released a barrage of images of troops sweeping into antecedently Russian-held towns and being embraced by section residents who had been nether Russian subject concern for six months.

The Ukrainian beforehand threatens to encircle thousands of Russian troops successful Izium, the main Russian stronghold and logistics basal successful the northeast assemblage of the front.

Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to Ukraine's statesmanlike office, successful a video posted connected YouTube, said the Russians successful Izium were astir isolated.

Reuters was not capable to instantly verify reports describing the concern successful Izium. Ganchev, the Russian-installed determination official, included Izium among cities wherever helium said civilians should evacuate.

Ukraine's beforehand is by acold its astir accelerated successful months, aft a agelong play successful which the warfare had shifted into a relentless grind on entrenched beforehand lines.

Ukraine's onslaught successful the eastbound came arsenic a astonishment conscionable a week aft it announced the commencement of a long-awaited counter-attack to reclaim Russian-occupied territory hundreds of kilometres distant astatine the other extremity of the beforehand successful Kherson successful the south.

Less accusation has been made nationalist astir that cognition but Kyiv has besides claimed immoderate successes there, cutting proviso routes to thousands of Russian troops isolated connected the westbound slope of the Dnipro River.

"We spot occurrence successful Kherson now, we spot immoderate occurrence successful Kharkiv and truthful that is very, precise encouraging," U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told a quality league successful Prague connected Thursday.

Tens of thousands of radical person been killed, millions person been driven from their homes and Russian forces person destroyed full cities since launching what Moscow calls a "special subject operation" to "disarm" Ukraine. Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians.