The Armed Forces of Ukraine took control of the town of Balakliia, Izium district, Kharkiv Region.

The President of Ukraine released a video showing the military reporting on the executed order to liberate the town.

The de-occupation of Balaklia was announced by a soldier of the Kraken Special Unit of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The video was recorded at 4 p.m. on September 8.

A video featuring a meeting between the Ukrainian servicemen and residents of de-occupied Balaklia also appeared online. People thank the soldiers of the Defense Forces for the return of the city under Ukrainian flags. The local population waited six months for the de-occupation.

The Russian servicemen captured the city on March 4, 2022. The mayor of Balakliia betrayed Ukraine and sided with the invaders, and then fled to the Russian Federation with his family.

Balakliia is a city in the Izium district with a pre-war population of 26,000. From here, the road leads to the important logistics center of the invaders – Kupiansk. The Russians provided support for the grouping of troops near Izium exactly across from Balaklia.