Ukraine captures checkpoint Hoptivka on border with Russia

Ukraine’s army has captured Hoptivka in the Kharkiv region, a frontier checkpoint on the border with Russia, UNIAN cites soldiers of Ukraine’s 130th territorial defence battalion.

A video of Ukrainian servicemen posing before the checkpoint is being shared on social media.

Ukraine’s General Staff has yet to confirm this, but it has announced that Russia had been leaving its positions in the Kharkiv region. Moreover, Ukraine says Russia’s army has left some localities in the Kherson region, too, as well as Svatove in the Luhansk region. Russia’s officials have not commented on the matter.

Russia’s Defence Ministry announced yesterday that it had regrouped its troops in the vicinity of Balaklia and Izium in order to fulfil the objectives of the “special military operation”, i.e. “liberate Donbass.''

“Yes, we left Izium, same as several other settlements of the Kharkiv direction. Without a doubt it’s bad news. Of course it’s all due to mistakes by our top brass. Please do not look for any hidden meaning behind this. There was no dirty deal or betrayal, we’re simply doing the best we can,” a DPR official said earlier.