Russia retreats after counter-attack as Britain slams Putin’s ‘disinformation’

A Ukrainian soldier takes a selfie as an artillery system fires on the front line in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine (Kostiantyn Liberov/AP)

Ukrainian forces have pushed their counter-offensive in the country’s east – exploiting quick gains they made in a week of fighting that has sharply changed the course of the conflict.

Ukraine’s quick action to reclaim Russia-occupied areas in the north-eastern Kharkiv region forced Moscow to withdraw its troops to prevent them from being surrounded and leave behind significant numbers of weapons and munitions in a hasty retreat.