Ukraine makes more gains and pushes back to border in places

Local residents inspect heavily damaged buildings after a Russian rocket attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine (Andrii Marienko/AP)

Ukrainian troops reclaimed more territory from Russia on Monday, pushing all the way back to the north-eastern border in some places as part of a lightning advance that forced Moscow to make a hasty retreat from occupied land.

As blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags fluttered over newly liberated towns, the Ukrainian military said its troops had freed more than 20 settlements in 24 hours.