Front lines shift in Donbas as Ukraine military mounts counteroffensive

The front lines in Ukraine had shifted on Sunday as Russia made advances in the fiercely contested eastern Donbas region and Ukraine's military waged a counteroffensive near the strategic Russian-held city of Izium.

Near the northeastern city of Kharkiv, where Ukrainian forces have been on the attack since early this month, commanders said they believed Russia had been withdrawing troops to reinforce positions around Izium to the south.

Ukraine has scored a series of successes since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, forcing Russia's commanders to abandon an advance on the capital Kyiv and then making rapid gains to drive them from Kharkiv,