Ukrainian armed forces claim to have recaptured a city deep within Russian-controlled territory in the east of the country.

Pictures appear to show Ukrainian soldiers flying the national flag above the city hall in Kupiansk, which is south of Kharkiv.

A Reuters source in the area says the Ukrainians have made their most rapid advances in months, in light of pressure to make sufficient gains before winter and prove it is worthy of continued Western support.

Recapturing Kupiansk, which is a key Russian rail link to their forces in the south, would mean thousands of the Kremlin’s soldiers would be cut off from their operations around the key battleground of Kherson.

Ukraine’s eastern advances comes as a surprise, just over a week after it threatened a counter-offensive in the south to recapture Kherson.

In his overnight address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least 30 settlements have been liberated in the Kharkiv region.

“Our army, intelligence units and the security services are carrying out active engagements in several operational areas. They are doing so successfully,” he said.

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Moscow has said its frontline in Kharkiv has buckled, but it promised to rush more troops in.

Vladimir Putin’s forces have focused on deploying troops and resources to the south of the country in recent weeks, as both sides fight for Kherson – the first city the Russians captured.

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