The Ukrainian counter-offensive forces the Russian forces in north-eastern Ukraine to retreat.

Moscow announced the deployment of troops on Saturday.

Soldiers should be withdrawn from the Kharkiv region, for example from the strategically important city of Izyum, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said in Moscow on Saturday.

Robert Putzbach

Editor in Politics

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In fact, the city may already be under Ukrainian control.

Under the catchphrase "tactical withdrawal", Russian war bloggers unanimously reported on Saturday the withdrawal of the Russian army from the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region.

Apparently, the troops retreated to the east to avoid being encircled by the Ukrainian army.

Referring to army sources, Ukrainian media also reported a hasty withdrawal that left military equipment behind.

Images of Ukrainian fighters in front of the Izyum entrance sign are also circulating on social networks.

An official confirmation by Russia or Ukraine is still pending.

The occupiers had apparently withdrawn from the strategically important city of Kupyansk to the eastern side of the Oskol river during the night.

A bridge over the river was apparently badly damaged.

Videos show Ukrainian soldiers entering the city past abandoned Russian military equipment.

On Saturday, a State Department spokesman released images showing the city being recaptured.

One photo shows soldiers posing in front of the city council in Kupyansk, holding the Ukrainian flag.

In front of them on the ground lies the occupier's flag, which last flew on official buildings here.

The loss of Kupjansk is of central importance for the Russian army: the city, which had a population of around 30,000 before the start of the war, is an important transshipment point in the north-east of the front.

Several long-distance roads and railway lines meet there, supplying Russian troops in Izyum and Severodonetsk directly from Russia.

The Ukrainian counter-offensive in the northeast of the country began just a few days ago with an advance on the city of Balaklija.

Since then, Ukrainian forces have continued to push back Russian troops, claiming to have regained more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory.

The situation is extremely serious for the Russian army. Despite Russian offensive efforts, there have not been such major changes in the course of the front for months.

While updates are published every minute on the Telegram channels of Russian war bloggers and there is talk of a dramatic situation, there are only a few official announcements.

On Friday, the Russian Ministry of Defense waived its daily update and instead published video footage that is said to show Russian military equipment en route to the Kharkiv region.

The Ukrainian offensive in the Kharkiv region could also have far-reaching consequences for the further course of the fighting in Donbass.

A recapture of Izyum would make a Russian attack on the Sloviansk and Kramatorsk conurbations from the north impossible.

In the spring, Isjum had been hard fought for weeks.

At the time, the Ukrainian side feared that capturing the city would open the way for Russia's complete conquest of the Donbass.

The two cities of Slovjansk and Kramatorsk are currently the only metropolitan area in the Donetsk region that is still under Ukrainian control.

After the Russian troops withdrew from Kyiv, the main goal of the war was the complete conquest of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Videos showing the reaction of residents to the arrival of Ukrainian forces in the retaken areas have been circulating on social media in recent days.

While the soldiers drive through the villages in an armored personnel carrier, people rush out of their houses cheering or stand on the side of the road and wave at the soldiers.

A previous version of the text was titled "Russian troops are withdrawing from Kharkiv region", we have changed this.