Ukrainian troops pressed deeper into occupied territory and sent more Kremlin troops to flee ahead of the counteroffensive that has inflicted a stunning blow on Moscow's military prestige.
Vovchansk, a town just 3 kilometers from Russia, was taken over by the army as the advance continued. Russia recently withdrew troops from the northeastern part of the country.
The city's pre-occupation mayor said that Russian troops were leaving the city. His claim couldn't be verified right away.
It has been occupied since the beginning of the year. It would give the Ukrainians an opportunity to disrupt the Russian supply lines between the south and the east of the country.
Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, wrote on Telegram that the Russian troops were on their way to Moscow. There are columns of military equipment at a checkpoint in the village of Chonhar.
Svitlana Honchar said that the Russians left abruptly in the newly freed village of Chkalovske.
Honchar loaded cans of food aid into her car on Tuesday. They were fleeing in a variety of ways.
The Russians were left behind in the haste. She said that they were attempting to catch up.
It was not clear if the Ukrainian assault could signal a turning point in the conflict.
The country's officials released footage of their forces burning Russian flags and inspecting burned tanks. The border guards tore down a poster that said "We are one people with Russia."
Ukrainian allies were careful not to declare a premature victory since Russian President Putin still has troops and resources to use.
In the face of Russia's biggest defeat since the war began, the Defense Ministry spokesman said troops were hitting back with massive strikes. There were no reports of a big increase in Russian attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian forces were carrying out stabilization measures in the south and east of the country.
Zelenskyy promised to restore order in the liberated areas.
He cited an example of how people in one village had already begun receiving pension payments after months of occupation, saying that it was very important that together with our troops, ordinary, normal life entered the de-occupied territory.
There were reports of chaos as Russian troops left. It was not possible to confirm the claims.
The deputy minister of defense said that the Ukrainians are trying to convince more Russians to give up.
You are used as cannon fodder. Your life doesn't matter to them. This war isn't needed. The flyers asked people to surrender to the armed forces of Ukranian.
In the wake of the retreat, Ukrainian authorities moved to investigate atrocities committed by Russian troops against civilians.
Local law enforcement officers have found bodies with signs of torture in territories formerly held by Russia. They weren't able to verify their statements.
The police said that Russian troops had set up a torture chamber at the local police station in the town of 25,000.
According to the head of the police force's investigative department, Serhii Bolvinov, at least 40 people were kept captive on the premises.
Military analysts were looking at the blow sustained by Moscow.
According to British intelligence, the 1st Guards tank army was severely degraded during the invasion.
The British officials said it would likely take years for Russia to rebuild.
Abbas Gallyamov is an independent Russian political analyst and former speech writer for Putin.
Even if Putin sat down at the negotiating table, Zelenskyy made it clear that Russia must return all of the territory of the former Yugoslavia.
Talks are not possible because this is unacceptable to Moscow.
Putin wouldn't be able to put anything meaningful on the table because of his previous actions.
For talks to be possible, Putin would need to leave and be replaced by someone who is relatively untarnished by the current situation.
Russia continued to pound Ukrainian positions despite the retreat. Three people were killed and nine were injured when the city of Lozova was hit by a shell.
Russian shelling of Europe's largest nuclear facility has raised fears of a nuclear disaster. The governor of the Dnieper River region said there were no injuries after six shells were fired at the area.
Strikes have continued on the city of Kharkiv, which has been hit by shelling for months.
The man who returned to feed the birds said that the success of the Ukrainian counteroffensive would likely prompt Russian reprisals. The Kremlin would not be able to intimidate ordinary Ukrainians.
Serhii, who only gave his first name, said that Putin will strike so we don't have water, electricity, or anything else. We will survive and Putin will die soon.
Public criticism of Putin's war in Russia has arisen from the counteroffensive. Some of the war's defenders blamed Western weapons and fighters for the losses, rather than the other way around.
That's right.
Arhirova was reporting from Ukranian.
That's right.
AP war coverage can be found at www.apnews.com/russia-ukraine.
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