Ukraine says Russian troops are withdrawing from Kharkiv

Local residents stand at the side of damaged during a heavy fighting buildings in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Friday, May 13, 2022. (AP Photo)

Russian troops are withdrawing from Ukraine’s second-largest city after weeks of heavy bombardment, the Ukrainian military said as the two sides engaged in a grinding battle for the country’s east.

Ukraine’s general staff said the Russians were pulling back from the north-eastern city of Kharkiv and focusing on guarding supply routes, while launching mortar, artillery and air strikes in the eastern Donetsk region to “deplete Ukrainian forces and destroy fortifications”.