Governor Sumi: Occupation by Russian Army Over

Russian troops no longer occupy towns and cities in Ukraine’s Sumi region and have withdrawn mainly, the regional governor said. The Ukrainian army is trying to drive out the remaining units.

On national television, Governor Dmitro Zhivitsky has said that Russian soldiers have left a lot of equipment in the northeastern region. He said on Sunday evening that the troops had begun their withdrawal but could not yet say whether occupied areas had been freed again.

Humanitarian corridors have previously been set up in Sumi to evacuate civilians to safer areas.

More and more regional authorities in Ukraine are reporting the departure of Russian soldiers as the focus of Russia’s operation in Ukraine has shifted to Luhansk and Donetsk. Russia says it wants to “liberate” these two regions.

The pro-Russian separatists based there have been at war with the government army since 2014 and have conquered more territory since the war broke out.