Russian defenses crumble as Ukrainian forces retake key territory

Ukraine’s forces continued their rapid advance in the Kharkiv region on Sunday, exploiting an extraordinary collapse of Russian defenses and raising the question of how far they can go. 
 

Unconfirmed reports overnight suggested Kyiv’s troops had taken Velykyi Burluk, a town about 90 kilometers (56 miles) east of Kharkiv and not far from the Russia-Ukraine border. The town of Chkalovske was also retaken, and all eyes are on strategically located Izyum. 

Russia’s Defense Minstry on Sunday published a map showing much of the country’s forces out of the Kharkiv region, without commenting further. 

“We are starting to advance not only to the