Ukraine's lightning-fast offensive in the country's northeast turns the tide of the war into attrition. In a matter of days, the Russian front line has changed dramatically. The troops of Moscow began to flee, and the Ukrainian villages - one after another to return under the yellow-blue flag.

Ukrainian officials on Saturday said the country's army had liberated the city of Izyum, a strategically important rail junction that Russian forces seized in the spring after a bloody weeks-long battle..

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The Russian Ministry of Defense, the day before talking about strengthening its defensive positions in the Kharkiv region, confirmed that it had withdrawn troops from Izyum for a “regrouping”. The agency's statement tried to make the Russian retreat look like a long-planned move.. But abandoned military equipment suggests that the retreat was in fact hasty due to the threat of encirclement, writes the New York Times..

Once upon a time, 40 thousand people lived in Izium. When the city came under occupation, 12 thousand inhabitants remained there, now rejoicing at the liberation of Izyum from Russian control. However, their joy was spoiled by the scale of destruction over the past six months..

“There is not a single residential building that would remain unscathed. Heating is the biggest problem. I doubt that we will be able to fix the heating system by winter,” Marchenko said..

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The New York Times writes that the release of Izyum could be a turning point in the war, second only to Russia's humiliating defeat in its attempt to seize Kyiv in the spring.. The successful Ukrainian offensive, which began last week in the Kharkiv region, was once again confirmation of the resilience of Ukrainian troops, and also once again pointed out the shortcomings of the Russian military machine..

“Ukrainian troops did not stop when they reached the first city, but deliberately decided to bypass the cities in order to move deeper than the Russian front line,” said Rob Lee, a military analyst at the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies..

Successful offensive in the north comes at a critical moment. In addition to boosting Ukrainian morale and thwarting Russian plans to annex occupied territories, the operation comes as winter approaches, when front lines are likely to be frozen.. And the global energy crisis will create problems for Western support for Ukraine. The publication recalls the words of President Volodymyr Zelensky, who stressed that the next 90 days will be critical.

But now, while the first snow has not yet fallen, Ukrainian troops have dealt a serious blow to Russian enemies, clearly showing that in the spring the course of the war may finally shift in favor of Ukraine, analysts say..

“The farther the troops advance, the more difficult it is usually to support them.. But it doesn’t look like Russia has serious reserves ready to stop a breakthrough or hold these cities,” Li said..

The Russian military collapse leading to the loss of Izyum can be attributed to one simple fact: the Russian army left its flanks undefended due to a likely lack of forces, attrition of conscripts, and low morale.. Since the beginning of summer, Russian troops have been sent to Donbass. The capture of this region was one of Moscow's main goals in this war.. In June and July, her army was able to occupy Severodonetsk and Lysychansk.. But in recent weeks, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers have been deployed south to contain a publicized Ukrainian offensive that began last month in the Kherson region..

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Despite the fact that the southern offensive may have seemed like a hoax to divert attention from the brilliant attack of the Ukrainian troops in the north, both operations were well planned and backed by a significant number of troops..

" But the offensive in the northeast and in the Kherson region tells us that Ukraine has an advantage in manpower and is able to use it effectively,” Li said..

The Ukrainian military, who were recently sent to the southern front, said that the losses were heavy. Although Ukrainian forces were able to regain control over some villages. Manpower and ammunition have become defining elements in the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than six months. And Moscow had more of both the first and the second. Its troops heavily shelled Ukrainian positions, gradually advancing, albeit with heavy casualties.. Western intelligence agencies believe that the losses of both armies are measured in tens of thousands.. Therefore, the latest Ukrainian successes seem especially surprising, highlighting the great weariness in the Russian ranks, which have decreased by about 80 thousand soldiers wounded and killed..

“We still don’t know much about this offensive.. But it is obvious that the Ukrainian army planned and executed it well.. It looks like a very effective joint forces operation using tanks, mechanized infantry, special operations forces, air defense, artillery and other systems,” Li said..

But the situation on the battlefield changes every hour. And it remains unclear what it will be like in the coming days. Pro-Russian bloggers published numerous photos showing columns of the Third Army Corps of the Russian Federation heading towards Izyum. But it seems that this redeployment of forces came too late.. Russia still has a very large army. In particular, she has a powerful air force. And most likely, she will try to launch a counterattack or at least slow down the Ukrainian offensive.. When Russian forces occupied Izyum in the first months of the war, it gave them an important advantage in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions.. Strategically important cities in the Donbass ended up in a " Russian control of Izyum meant that the Ukrainian army needed to send forces there to prevent the enemy from advancing further west in this direction.. Thus, important resources and troops became unavailable in other parts of the front line..

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But the Russian offensive in the Donbass stalled in the summer due to the depletion of units and the need to replenish their ranks and stocks of weapons.. However, it is not known how successfully this task was completed.. Losing control of the Raisins will further exacerbate these problems.. The city was an important supply hub for Russian forces in Donbas. Without this supply chain, Russian troops, especially artillery batteries, will be under even greater pressure..

After the release of Izyum, the dynamics in the east are changing. The army of Kyiv now has an expanded geography for further offensives. Cities that Russia mercilessly bombarded will now be safer. In particular, this applies to Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. The Ukrainian military likely captured hundreds, if not thousands, of Russian prisoners, as well as valuable Russian military equipment.. Videos are circulating on social networks showing hastily abandoned infantry fighting vehicles and tanks, which the Ukrainian army just lacks..

However, while captured Russian equipment is important, Western artillery, especially HIMARS and air defense systems, played a particularly important role in Ukraine's successful counter-offensive.. However, Western analysts attribute the latest victories of the Kyiv army to better tactics and planning, as well as to higher military morale.. All this made it possible to take the initiative in their own hands and successfully oppose numerically large enemy forces..