Moscow abandoned its main stronghold in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday with the sudden collapse of one of the war’s main front lines, after Ukrainian forces threatened to encircle the area.

Izium’s rapid fall in Kharkiv province could be Moscow’s worst defeat since its troops were driven from the capital Kiev in March this year, and a decisive turning point in a six-month war with thousands of Russian soldiers. they are running away.

According to the state news agency TASS, the Russian Ministry of Defense has ordered troops to leave the perimeter to reinforce operations elsewhere in Donetsk. Russia’s head of administration in the controlled areas in Kharkiv advised all residents to withdraw from the province and flee to Russia “to save lives,” TASS reported.

Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed that they have recaptured Izium, but Andriy Yermak, the chief of staff of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, posted a photo of soldiers around it. Earlier, he tweeted a grape emoji. The name of the city means “raisin”.

The announcement of Russia’s withdrawal came hours after Ukrainian troops captured the northernmost city of Kupiansk, the only rail hub in northeastern Ukraine to feed Russia’s entire front line. This abruptly left thousands of Russian soldiers without supplies in a part of the war front that had seen some of the most intense battles of the conflict.