Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attends flag hoisting ceremony in Izyum on Sept. 14. Photo: Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky paid a visit on Wednesday to the northeastern city of Izyum in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, which was recently recaptured from Russian control as part of Ukraine's counter-offensive.
Why it matters: Izyum was a major logistical hub for Russian forces in the north of Ukraine.
The big picture: Over the weekend, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that troops were being removed from Izyum and the city of Balakleya in an effort to "regroup" in light of the Ukrainian advance.
- During the previously unannounced visit on Wednesday, Zelensky oversaw the raising of Ukraine's flag over the city's main square, the New York Times reported.
- “Our blue and yellow flag is already flying in de-occupied Izyum,” he said, per the Times. “And it will be so in every Ukrainian city and village.”
- Much of the city has been destroyed and the abandoned remains of Russian tanks and vehicles dotted the streets, NBC News reported.
- “The view is very shocking, but it is not shocking for me,” Zelensky told reporters, “because we began to see the same pictures from Bucha, from the first de-occupied territories … so the same destroyed buildings, killed people.”