Ukraine: Russia is withdrawing troops from Kharkov, pouring fire on Donbass

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 Ukraine says that Russian forces are withdrawing from the city of Kharkov and are now intensifying their air strikes on the Donbass region.


Ukraine's military said on May 14 that Russia was withdrawing its troops from the area around Ukraine's second largest city, Kharkov, after weeks of siege. Kiev says Russian and Ukrainian forces are fighting fiercely in the Donbass region in the east.


Ukraine says Russian forces are focused on guarding supply routes and conducting mortar and artillery strikes and air strikes in eastern Donetsk province to "destroy Ukrainian forces and destroy fortifications".


Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Kiev was "entering a new and protracted phase of the war".


In another related development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday met with a delegation of US lawmakers led by Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell in Kiev. This is a move to show Washington's political support for Ukraine when the war is about to turn three months.


Russia is currently in the second phase of its military campaign, with the aim of targeting the Donbass region, an industrial region in Eastern Ukraine. One of Moscow's goals is to surround Ukraine's most combat-experienced servicemen in the east.


Russia has gained control of several settlements in the Donbass, including Rubizhne, an area of ​​55,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, Zelensky said, Ukrainian forces also made progress in the east when they recaptured six towns and villages the day before. However, he still admits that the situation in Donbass is still very difficult.


Kharkov, a city located near the Russian border, has experienced fierce fighting for weeks. However, according to the Institute for the Study of War (USA), Ukraine seems to be regaining the advantage here, by stopping the advance of Russian troops and preventing Moscow from creating a pincer position to surround the city.


Oleh Zhdanov, an independent Ukrainian military analyst, said fighting was fierce on the Siversky Donets river near the city of Severodonetsk, where Ukraine launched counter-attacks but failed to stop Russia's advance.


However, Britain said Russia also appeared to have suffered significant damage when Ukraine destroyed the pontoon bridge that Moscow used to cross the river in the town of Bilohorivka.

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