After Russian troops withdrew from Kyiv, Ukraine reclaimed control of dozens of towns.
Russian forces have fled from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and Chernihiv, Ukraine’s northern metropolis, marking a huge military loss for Russia and a turning point in the war. Ukraine’s army announced that it had retaken control of dozens of cities west and east of Kyiv, including some of the war’s most fierce battlegrounds.
The pullout, which has been confirmed by witnesses, Ukrainian officials, satellite imagery, and military analysts, marks the end of Russia’s chaotic campaign to seize the capital and depose Ukraine’s government, at least for the time being. The conflict is predicted to continue to shift to eastern Ukraine’s Donbas area.
The Ukrainian army advanced through a picture of destruction in the suburbs north of Kyiv, with dozens of wrecked tanks on the streets, considerable damage to buildings, and the dead of citizens still lying uncollected. Kyiv and its environs have been deafeningly quiet for weeks, despite artillery and gunfire.
Days after Russian forces sacked Bucha, a crucial town on the west bank of the Dnipro River, which divides Kyiv, Ukraine’s military moved into the town on Saturday. Maxar Technologies, a US-based imaging business, captured satellite imagery of a vital airport in Hostomel that looked to suggest Russian equipment had been withdrawn within the recent 10 days.
Russian attacks continued elsewhere in Ukraine, according to military analysts, and Russia’s departure from areas around Kyiv did not signal the country’s war effort was being scaled up.
According to the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, Russian troops have taken control of Izium, a strategic city southeast of Kharkiv that has been under Russian siege for several weeks.
The city might be used as a staging area for Russian troops heading north of Kharkiv in an attempt to connect up with fighters in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region and isolate Ukrainian forces battling in the northeast.
