Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Russia orders troops to withdraw from front line positions after shock Ukrainian advance

Russia orders troops to withdraw from front line positions after shock Ukrainian advance

Ukrainian forces, backed by increasingly powerful Western weapons, have captured hundreds of square miles of territory from Russian control in the past four days across the Kharkiv region, as the Russian line collapsed.

Russia has ordered its troops to withdraw from two front line positions in eastern Ukraine in the face of a shock advance by Ukrainian forces.

The retreat on Saturday marked the most significant gain for Ukraine's military since they defeated a Russian attempt to conquer the capital, Kyiv, back in March.

"The Russian army in these days is demonstrating the best that it can do - showing its back," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video released by his office Saturday night.

"And, of course, it's a good decision for them to run."

Ukrainian forces, backed by increasingly powerful Western weapons, have captured hundreds of square miles of territory from Russian control in the past four days across the Kharkiv region, as the Russian line collapsed.

Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine's military had liberated around 2,000 square kilometres of territory since the counteroffensive started.

Images on social media showed triumphant soldiers replacing Russian flags with the colours of yellow and blue in villages, towns and cities as they fell back under Ukrainian control after months of Russian occupation.

A top Ukrainian commander said more cities would follow as he watched a flag-raising ceremony, accompanied by the national anthem, at the small city of Banakliia, which was one of the first to be recaptured.

"I am sure that this is not the last city," Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said, dressed in full combat gear.

"Ahead of us is Kupiansk, which is already half taken by our troops. Ahead of us is Izyium and many others."

Pictures have emerged of the Ukrainian flag flying over Kupiansk, which had been an important logistics hub for Russia to send supplies to its troops in the crucial southeastern Donbas region.

Images have also been posted of social media of Ukrainian troops at the gateway of Izyium - the main bastion for Russian forces in the area. It was a city was that captured by Russia during the first weeks of the war and had remained under Russian control ever since - until now.

Explaining the Russian withdrawal, defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russian troops would be regrouped from the Balakliya and Izyum areas to the Donetsk region in the Donbas.

Mr Konashenkov said the move is being made "in order to achieve the stated goals of the special military operation to liberate Donbas".

An abandoned Russian military vehicle in the Kharkiv village of Hrakove


Russian retreat 'like an avalanche'


The claim of a pullback to concentrate on the Donbas is similar to the justification Russia gave for withdrawing its forces from the Kyiv region and the north of Ukraine earlier this year. That came after they encountered fierce Ukrainian resistance, helped by Western weapons.

The developments came amid what has largely been a media blackout regarding Ukraine's offensive plans.

The Ukrainian military said it had launched a long-anticipated counter-offensive against Russian-controlled territory in the southern region of Kherson on 29 August.

It has blocked access for journalists to the front line, so progress of that operation has been hard to gauge.

In the past few days, however - the UK Ministry of Defence said that the start date was 6 September - Ukrainian forces have simultaneously started attacking Russian-held positions in the Kharkiv region.

Claims of significant advances in Kharkiv began to emerge in the past three days.

Vladislav Sokolov, the head of the Russian-appointed local administration, said on social media that authorities in Izyum have started evacuating residents to Russia.

Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Reznikov told the television channel Ukraina that the Russians had no food or fuel for their troops in the area as Kyiv had cut off their supply lines

"It will be like an avalanche," he said, predicting a Russian fallback. "One line of defence will shake, and it will fall."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
×