Russian armor is destroyed on river

A Russian armored column was destroyed as it tried to cross a river in the Donbas region, video footage released by Ukraine’s military showed on Friday.

Ukraine has driven Russian troops away from the second-largest city of Kharkiv in the fastest advance since Kremlin forces pulled away from Kyiv and the northeast over a month ago, although Moscow is still bombarding villages north of Kharkiv.

The city, which had been under fierce bombardment, has been quiet for at least two weeks and Ukraine now controls territory stretching to the Siverskyi Donets river, about 40 kilometers to the east.

Southeast of Kharkiv, Britain said Ukraine had stopped Russian forces crossing the Siverskyi Donets river west of Severodonetsk. Video footage released by Ukrainian Airborne Forces Command showed several burnt-out military vehicles near segments of a partially submerged bridge, and many other damaged or abandoned vehicles, including tanks.

The British Defense Ministry said Russia was investing significant military effort near Severodonetsk and Izium, and trying to break through towards Sloviansk and Kramatorsk to complete their takeover of Ukraine’s industrial Donbas region.

In the southern port of Mariupol, Russian forces intensified their bombardment of the Azovstal steelworks, the last bastion of Ukrainian defenders in a city almost completely controlled by Russia after a siege of more than two months.

Civilians rescued from tunnels under the plant described terrifying conditions. “Every second was hellish,” said Valentyna Demyanchuk, 51, a nurse.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said negotiations were underway for the wounded troops in the steel plant to be brought to safety.