Zelenskyy hails liberation of 6,000 sq km of land as Russian troops retreat

Many of the claims of military success could not be independently verified

A Ukrainian soldier takes a break to rest in the freed territory in the Kharkiv region (Kostiantyn Liberov/AP)

Ukrainian troops have continued to pile pressure on retreating Russian forces, seeking to hold on to their sudden momentum that has produced major territorial gains.

Fresh yellow-and-blue flags fluttered from the tallest buildings left in partly destroyed towns around Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, while Ukrainian soldiers inspected charred Russian tanks left along the way.