![]() ![]() ![]() They have been celebrating the Ukrainian victory over the city, a resident named Valeriy said, calling it a “balm for the soul.”Ĭopyright © 2022 News Watch 24. One couple in their 50s agreed to talk, using only their first names. Most of the residents CNN approached were too scared to speak freely about what had happened there in recent months. The city also remains in a complete information blackout, with no phone or data signal - a tactic used by the Russians across the occupied territories.įrom what the CNN team witnessed, local people are relieved to see their city back in Ukrainian hands.Īlthough the streets of Izium were largely quiet, residents would occasionally venture out of their homes and wave at CNN’s vehicles or at the passing military trucks, and shake hands with any Ukrainian soldiers they came across.īut at the same time, fear of the Russians still grips the city. The Ukrainians are seeking to capture a few Russian soldiers still in hiding, and anyone who worked with them during the occupation. Work is still ongoing to make the city center completely safe. The city is a huge strategic loss for the Russian military, which used it as a key base and resupply route for its forces in eastern Ukraine, and shows the speed and scale of Ukraine’s lightning-fast counteroffensive in the northeast. Izium has now been “liberated,” along with almost the whole of Kharkiv region, a Ukrainian military source told CNN. Further along, the wreckage of a car was left alongside a destroyed petrol station surrounded by the debris of shelling. A collapsed bridge was covered in signs warning of landmines. (Juan Barreto/AFP/Getty Images)Īs a CNN team on the ground surveyed the city of Izium, the signs of Ukrainian victory after months of Russian occupation are clear.īurned-out tanks and trucks emblazoned with Russia’s signature “Z” symbol were at the side of the road, gutted and red with new rust. An abandoned Russian armoured vehicle is seen near a village on the outskirts of Izyum on September 11. ![]()
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