Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Sep 05, 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

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
×