Russia getting out of Kharkiv, says Ukraine

Russian troops are withdrawing from around Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, after bombarding it for weeks, the Ukrainian military said on Saturday, as Kyiv and Moscow’s forces engaged in a grinding battle for the country’s eastern industrial heartland.

Ukraine’s General Staff said the Russians were pulling back from the northeastern city and focusing on guarding supply routes, while launching mortar, artillery and air strikes in Donetsk to “deplete Ukrainian forces and destroy fortifications”.