The swift fall of Izyum in the Kharkiv region has been seen as perhaps Moscow's worst defeat since the retreat from Kyiv in March. Photojournalists visited the liberated city on the Siverskiy Donets River and captured these scenes of devastation wrought by the Russian invasion and occupation.
Ukrainian Forces Hail Liberation Of Izyum
- By RFE/RL
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A cyclist looks out over Izyum shortly after its liberation on September 11. The Ukrainian military has pushed Russian forces out of swaths of territory in the northeast of the country.
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Izyum had been under Russian occupation since March.
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As Moscow's forces retreated, they left behind large quantities of ammunition and hardware.
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Ukrainian soldiers stand on a destroyed bridge that once crossed the Siverskiy Donets River in Izyum on September 13. The loss of Izyum is regarded as a strategic setback for Moscow as its troops had relied on the city as a base and resupply route for its forces.
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A Ukrainian soldier stands on the Russian flag.
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Ukrainian soldiers inspect a church that Russian forces had used as a military hospital.
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The mayor of Izyum has said that approximately 70 percent of the city's high-rise structures have been damaged, and most areas are without electricity, gas, or water.
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The scars of war are evident from above: a field is covered in artillery craters and destroyed military hardware litters a road.
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A Ukrainian soldier rests atop a Russian armored personnel carrier in Izyum on September 13.
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The Ukrainian flag waves once again above the City Hall in Izyum on September 13.
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Although Ukraine's armed forces have made considerable progress, U.S. President Joe Biden has said that they still face "a long haul."
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy salutes his country's flag as it is raised in front of the burned-out City Hall building in Izyum on September 14. Zelenskiy paid a surprise visit to the recently liberated city to meet soldiers and express gratitude for their efforts in retaking the territory.
