Ukraine forces advance after fall of Russian stronghold

Passers-by near a building destroyed following an overnight missile strike in Kharkiv Monday. Pic/AFP

Ukrainian forces kept pushing north in the Kharkiv region and advancing to the south and east of the country after the swift fall of Russia's main bastion in the northeast, Ukraine's army chief said on Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed Russia's retreat from the city of Izium in the Kharkiv province as a breakthrough in the six-month-old war, saying this winter could bring more rapid gains of territory if Kyiv can get more powerful weapons.

Ukraine's chief commander General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said the country's armed forces have regained control of more than 3,000 square km (1,158 square miles) since the beginning of this month.

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"I believe that this winter is a turning point, and it can lead to the rapid de-occupation of Ukraine," Zelensky said. "We see how they (occupiers) are fleeing in some directions. If we were a little stronger with weapons, we would de-occupy faster." Zelensky's chief of staff Andriy Yermak posted a photo of troops on Izium's outskirts and tweeted an emoji of grapes. The city's name means "raisin."

Last reactor at nuke plant stopped

Europe's largest nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhia has been reconnected to Ukraine's electricity grid, allowing engineers to shut down its last operational reactor to try to avoid a radiation disaster as fighting rages in the area.

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