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Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy watched as his nation’s flag was hoisted in Izium, a metropolis not too long ago recaptured from the retreating Russians.
They left the war-scarred metropolis final week after a lightning Ukrainian counteroffensive noticed Kyiv reclaim giant components of the northeastern Kharkiv area.
Zelenskyy, along with his hand on his coronary heart, seemed on and sang the nationwide anthem because the flag was raised in entrance of a burned-out metropolis corridor constructing.
“The view may be very stunning however it’s not stunning for me,” Zelenskyy advised the press. “As a result of we started to see the identical photos from Bucha, from the primary de-occupied territories … the identical destroyed buildings, killed individuals.”
Russian forces withdrew from Bucha, close to Kyiv, early on within the struggle. Town got here to world consideration after the our bodies of civilians — many displaying indicators of torture — had been discovered dumped within the streets.
Prosecutors stated they’ve discovered six our bodies with traces of torture in not too long ago retaken villages within the Kharkiv area.
“We’ve got a horrible image of what the occupiers did. … such cities as Balakliia, Izium are standing in the identical row as Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpin,” stated Prosecutor Common Andriy Kostin, itemizing the names of locations the place the Ukrainians have alleged Russian forces dedicated atrocities.
“Earlier, after we seemed up, we all the time seemed for the blue sky,” Zelenskyy added on social media. “At this time, after we search for, we’re searching for just one factor – the flag of Ukraine. Our blue-yellow flag is already flying within the de-occupied Izium. And will probably be so in each Ukrainian metropolis and village.”
On the northern outskirts of Izium, the stays of Russian tanks and automobiles lay shattered alongside the highway.
Zelenskyy stated that as Ukrainian troopers retook villages, “the life comes again.”
‘Dozens of tanks left behind’
The counteroffensive has additionally left extra weapons in Ukrainian arms.
Russian forces possible left behind dozens of tanks, armoured personnel carriers and different heavy weaponry as they fled Ukraine’s advance within the east of the nation, a Ukrainian suppose tank stated Wednesday.
The Middle for Protection Methods stated one single Russian unit that was round Izium left behind greater than three dozen T-80 tanks and about as many infantry preventing automobiles identified by the acronym BMP. One other unit left behind 47 tanks and 27 armoured automobiles.
It stated Russian forces tried to destroy a number of the deserted automobiles by way of artillery strikes as they fell again. Usually, armed forces destroy gear left behind so their opponent can’t use it.
Nonetheless, the chaos of the Russian withdrawal apparently noticed them depart untouched ammunition and weapons behind.
Russian shelling continues
In different areas, Russia continued its assaults, inflicting the loss of life toll to maintain rising in a struggle that has dragged on for practically seven months.
Russian shelling of seven Ukrainian areas over the previous 24 hours killed a minimum of seven civilians and wounded 22 extra, Ukraine’s presidential workplace reported on Wednesday morning.
Two individuals had been killed and three wounded after Russia attacked Mykolaiv with S-300 missiles in a single day, stated regional Gov. Vitaliy Kim. Settlements close to the entrance line in Mykolaiv area stay beneath fixed hearth.
The Nikopol space, which is throughout a river from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear energy plant, was shelled thrice through the evening, however no accidents had been instantly reported, stated regional Gov. Valentyn Reznichenko. Nikopol metropolis itself was shelled two occasions and left nearly 3,000 households with out electrical energy. Reznichenko stated the electrical energy has been partially restored.
Within the Luhansk area, the place a number of the Russian troops went after retreating from the Kharkiv area, cellular web has been shut down, based on the area’s governor Serhiy Haidai, and intense shelling of Ukrainian forces continues.
The preventing continued within the neighbouring Donetsk area, the place shelling killed 5 civilians and wounded 16 extra. Collectively, Luhansk and Donetsk make up the Donbas.
“Each evening in Donbas is stressed. The civilians ought to depart the area. It’s a matter of life and loss of life,” Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko stated.