The stand-off between Russia and Ukraine took a major turn on Sunday after Ukrainian forces took control of Izyum, a city in eastern Ukraine. The withdrawal of Russian forces from Izyum is the biggest Ukrainian success in this war since the failed Russian attempt to enter Ukraine back in February. 

Following the withdrawal, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy put up a video address in which he mocked the Russians, saying, “the Russian army in these days is demonstrating the best that it can do — showing its back.” 

Also read: Russia-Ukraine conflict: Why fall of Izyum matters to Putin?

The Russian Defense Ministry, however, said that the withdrawal from Izyum and Kharkiv was part of an effort to strengthen the Russian forces in the Donetsk region. 

Izyum is located in the eastern province of Ukraine on the banks of the river Donets, 120 kilometers southeast of Kharkiv. It is an old city of the Russian Empire with a history that dates back to the 18th Century. It was the center of Izyumsky Uyezd – one of the subdivisions of the Russian Empire.

The city assumed strategic importance in the Russia-Ukraine standoff, starting from the early days of 2014. During the early days of the conflict, Russian forces had captured Yampil – a city 50 kilometers from Izyum, and also the city of Izyum. The Ukrainian forces famously reclaimed both the cities from the Russians during the Siege of Sloviansk and the Battle of Kramatorsk.

Also read: Izyum has fallen: Ukraine pushes Russia into retreat in counteroffensive

In the post-Soviet era, the city was subject to decommunization laws. As part of that process in 2016, it had one of its iconic locations – Lenin Square, renamed to John Lenon Square.

On March 24, 2022, Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement that the city of Izyum has fallen into the hands of the Russians.