Russian troops leave Izyum
The Russian troops have fled from Izyum in the Kharkiv region, leaving behind their weapons and equipment, reported by the commander of the battalion Svoboda, Petro Kuzyk, citing the soldiers of Freedom of Russia Legion.
The legion consists of Russian volunteers who fight on the side of Ukraine.
"The soldiers of the Legion report from Izyum that the Rashists [Russians] fled the city and abandoned the equipment. There is no orc [Russian soldier] or separatist in the center! There has just been a strong explosion from the side of the bridge," he said.
There is no official confirmation of the information about the surrender of Izyum yet.
Pro-Russian Telegram channels, including the "representative of the authorities" of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, also reported that Russian troops left Izyum. According to Russian military reporter, Alexander Kots from Komsomolskaya Pravda, situation in Izyum is not looking too good for the Russian military.
Yevgeny Poddubny from the Russian TV channel VGTRK said that "the encirclement of the Russian group in Izyum would be a disaster," and "the decision to withdraw from a military point of view is absolutely correct in the current circumstances."
"First Deputy Minister of Information" of the DPR Daniil Bezsonov reported that Russians left Izyum and several other settlements in the Kharkiv region.
"Of course, it's bad. Of course, this is the result of mistakes of high command," he said.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated about 2500 square km in Kharkiv region.