Izium: Ukrainian Forces Take Key City, Igniting New Phase in War

Russia withdraws its forces from Izium, a logistics hub in the northeast.

Ukrainian forces entered the key Russian military stronghold of Izium on Saturday, continuing their rapid advance across the northeast and igniting a dramatic new phase in the more than six-month war.

“Izium was liberated today,” the city’s mayor, Valeriy Marchenko, said in an interview. While he was not yet in the city himself, he said that he was in contact with the police and that emergency services were working to clear it of possible hazards before residents could return.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense — which a day earlier had said that it was moving to reinforce its defensive positions in the region — confirmed on Saturday that it had pulled its forces out of Izium, six months after its forces laid siege to and then seized the city.

In a statement, it presented the retreat as a pre-planned move, intended to strengthen its efforts in the east where its army has been bogged down for weeks.
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*** Maintaining control of towns and cities has at times proven tenuous over the course of the war, and it was not immediately clear how secure Ukraine’s control over Izium was and what efforts Russia might take to try to win it back.***
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VIDEO WION: Moscow has abandoned one of its main bastions in Northeastern Ukraine after the Ukrainian forces made rapid advances. Russia's defense ministry said on Saturday that it was pulling troops out of its main stronghold in Northeastern Ukraine.
#kharkov #evacuations #civilians #army #Izium #donbass #bastion #troops
#stronghold #ukrainianarmy #regrouping #easternukraine
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MoD Ru: Russian Troops Regrouping Near Balakliya, Izyum To Push Donetsk Offensive:
[https://youtu.be/Vj-vRebb49Y]
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Kyiv’s forces enter key town of Kupiansk in east Ukraine :
[https://www.elethos.gr/2022/09/kyivs-forces-enter-key-town-of-kupiansk.html]
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Ukraine Seizes Key Supply Hub Russian Forces In East:
[https://www.kaos.gr/2022/09/ukraine-seizes-key-supply-hub-russian.html]