Russia's defence ministry has said it is pulling back forces from two areas in Ukraine's Kharkiv region where a Ukrainian counter-offensive has made significant advances in the past week.
Ukrainian officials have claimed major gains against Russian forces in the country's north-east, saying vital supplies to the invaders had been cut off from the front-line hotspot.
The reports followed several days of apparent advances by Ukraine south of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, in what could become the biggest battlefield success for Ukrainian forces since they thwarted a Russian attempt to seize the capital of Kyiv at the start of the war nearly seven months ago.
Defence spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the troops would be regrouped from the Balakliya and Izyum areas to the Donetsk region.
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