Russian troops are withdrawing from around Ukraine’s second-largest city Kharkiv

Kyiv and Moscow are engaged in a grinding battle for Ukraine's industrial heartlands as Russian troops withdraw from around the country's second-largest city, the Ukrainian military said.

According to Ukraine's general staff, Russian troops are retreating from Kharkiv and protecting supply routes, while using mortars, artillery, and airstrikes to "deplete Ukrainian forces and destroy fortifications" in eastern Donetsk Province.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainians were doing their “maximum” to drive out the invaders and that the outcome of the war would depend on support from Europe and other allies.

Britain’s Defense Ministry said Russia lost “significant armored maneuver elements” of at least one battalion tactical group in the attack. A Russian battalion tactical group consists of about 1,000 troops.

The ministry said the risky river crossing was a sign of “the pressure the Russian commanders are under to make progress in their operations in eastern Ukraine.”

14 May 2022