​Tanks and trucks with the letter “Z”, which became a symbol of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, are burned and abandoned on the road, a destroyed bridge, wreckage of civilian cars and a destroyed gas station, and Ukrainians are happy about the arrival of troops sent by Kyiv. Journalists from the American TV channel CNN were the first to capture a picture of the devastation of the town of Izyum, which was liberated by Ukrainian forces in a surprise counteroffensive that forced Russian troops to flee across the Russian border, the Americans say.

More than six months after the start of the war, the city of Izyum can breathe the air of freedom, after the Ukrainian army managed to drive out the Russian troops from the city, which was occupied by the Russians since the beginning of the invasion, being the main bastion of the Russians in the northeast of Ukraine.

Before the invasion, Izyum had about 48,000 souls and occupied almost 43 square meters. The territory is part of more than 6,000 square kilometers that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi says has been taken from Russian invaders since early September, after Ukraine launched two offensive operations in the south and east.

A Ukrainian military source told CNN the city is a huge strategic loss for Moscow, which has been using it as a base and supply route for its forces in eastern Ukraine, and shows the speed and scale of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Kharkiv blitzkrieg.

In an attempt to play down the success of Ukrainian forces, Russia called the withdrawal of its troops from the region “tactical” to focus its forces on Donbas, while the Kremlin claimed that it would achieve its goals in Ukraine, stated at the beginning of the invasion.

Local residents rejoice at the arrival of Ukrainian troops

CNN reports that the residents of Izyum are happy to have their city back, and the military is looking for Russians who are hiding and trying to escape from the newly recaptured territory.

The streets of the city are quiet now, people still don’t go out, but they are happy to see the team of American journalists and the Ukrainian military, thanks to whom I can talk about the victory in Kharkiv, which I call “balm for the soul.”

CNN journalists saw the entire arsenal that the Russians left behind while fleeing, and now it will be used in Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Local residents told CNN that the Russians came to Izyum on March 4 to “liberate you from the Nazis.” In the following months, Russian soldiers stole what they could from houses where no one lived.

Russian soldiers seemed surprised to realize that what Moscow had been saying about what it was doing in Ukraine was actually a lie, and civilians in Izyum believe that this is also one of the reasons why Russian troops fled so quickly.

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