A Ukrainian military unit published video on Wednesday, September 7, showing soldiers lowering the red flag of the Soviet Union in the village of Nova Husarivka, south of Balaklia, Kharkiv Oblast, amid reports of a counteroffensive in the area.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which provides regular detailed updates on the conflict, had not confirmed the recapture of the village. However, in a post on Wednesday, the Balaklia City Council said it was waiting for official confirmation that some settlements in the area had been retaken by Ukrainian forces and urged residents to maintain “informational silence” amid ongoing fighting in the city.

Throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, Evgeniy Poddubny, a war correspondent and propagandist for Russian state media, shared multiple posts on Telegram from pro-Kremlin accounts that said Russian forces lost control of another nearby town, Volokhov Yar, about 10 miles north of Balaklia, on the road to the Russian-occupied city of Kupiansk, and had been encircled by Ukrainian forces in the Balaklia area.

On Tuesday, Kupiansk City Council posted on social media for the first time since late March, telling residents that Ukrainian forces were heading toward Kupiansk and would be aiming to recapture it from Russian forces. On Wednesday, Russian state media reported Ukrainian strikes on the city.

According to Ukrainian reports, the recapture of Balaklia would sever supply routes to Russian forces near Sloviansk and Kramatorsk. Credit: Ukraine National Guard via Storyful