Ukraine says Russia has withdrawn from Kharkiv, but continues offensive in the east

Latest political developments Updates from the ground on Day 80 of the warZelensky says Ukraine is in “complex talks” on evacuating wounded fighters from Mariupol steel mill.​​​

Russian troops are withdrawing from Ukraine’s second-largest city after weeks of heavy bombardment, the Ukrainian military said Saturday as Kyiv and Moscow’s forces engaged in a grinding battle for the country’s east.

Ukraine’s general staff said the Russians were pulling back from the northeastern city of Kharkiv and focusing on guarding supply routes, while launching mortar, artillery and airstrikes in the eastern Donetsk region in order to “deplete Ukrainian forces and destroy fortifications.”

Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said