Ukraine's military counteroffensive continued in the east of the country as Russia's invasion entered its 200th day on September 11, a day after Russia admitted its invading forces had abandoned key northeastern areas.
The Ukrainian military said its forces had entered Kupyansk and that operations to liberate villages and towns in that district and nearby Izyum were ongoing.
"The de-occupation of Ukraine continues. In general, in recent days, about 2,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory have been freed from Russian occupation," it said in a battlefield update.
Later, Ukrainian Commander in Chief Valeriy Zaluzhniy said Ukrainian forces had advanced north from Kharkiv to within 50 kilometers of the border with Russia and are also pressing to the south and east in the same region.
His troops have retaken more than 3,000 square kilometers of territory this month, he said in a post on Telegram, adding: "Ukraine continue to liberate territories occupied by Russia."
On September 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed Russia's retreat from Izyum as a breakthrough in the conflict.
"I believe that this winter is a turning point, and it can lead to the rapid de-occupation of Ukraine," Zelenskiy said in comments to a political forum published on his website late on September 10. "We see how they (occupiers) are fleeing in some directions. If we were a little stronger with weapons, we would de-occupy faster."
In his late-night address, Zelenskiy said the Russian Army was "demonstrating the best it can do -- showing its back" and that "they made a good choice to run."
WATCH: 'Many Russian Soldiers Flee': How Ukrainian Forces Liberated 20 Towns
Earlier on September 10, the Ukrainian military announced that the Ukrainian flag had been raised in Balaklia and its troops had entered Kupyansk, while Ukrainian forces were located on the outskirts of Lysychansk and fighting continued outside Lyman.
That came after the Russian Defense Ministry for the first time since the start of the counteroffensive announced the withdrawal of its forces from two areas.
Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the troops would be regrouped from the Balaklia and Izyum areas to the Donetsk region.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) earlier confirmed that its forces had entered the strategically important town of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region.
The SBU posted images on Telegram of a group of Ukrainian soldiers with the caption: "Specialists of the SBU's special operations center 'A' in Kupyansk, which was and always will be Ukrainian!"
An adviser to the head of the regional council in the Kharkiv region, Natalia Popova, posted a different picture on Facebook purportedly showing Ukrainian troops holding a Ukrainian flag in the town center with what appears to be a crumpled and burnt Russian flag at their feet. Ukrainian media have also published the report.
Kupyansk, located about 120 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv, is a transportation hub in eastern Ukraine and strategically important for supplying Russian troops in the Donbas region.
The region -- anchored by Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv -- was occupied shortly after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February and has been one of the focal points of a major, two-pronged Ukrainian counteroffensive.
