Ukrainian flags are placed on statues in a square in Balakliya in southeastern Kharkiv oblast on Sunday, after Ukraine said it retook the city from Russia the day before. Photo: Metin Aktas/VCG

People pose in front of the Taras Shevchenko statue for a photo on Sunday. Ukrainian troops have recaptured 6,000 square kilometers (2,300 square miles) of territory from Russia since the beginning of September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. Photo: Metin Aktas/IC Photo

A man pushes his bicycle past buildings in Balakliya that were damaged in fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Photo: Metin Aktas/The Paper

Residents wait to receive humanitarian aid on Saturday in the city of Balakliya. Photo: Metin Aktas/VCG

Residents move their belongings from a damaged residential building on Monday. Photo: The Paper

A damaged Russian armored vehicle is abandoned in Balakliya. Russian forces have retreated from areas in Kharkiv oblast, including the region’s Russian army stronghold of Izyum, the Russian defense ministry said on Saturday. Photo: Metin Aktas/IC photo

A firefighter attempts to extinguish a fire after a Russian airstrike hits a house in Kharkiv on Saturday. Photo: Metin Aktas/The Paper

Firefighters take action after a Russian rocket damaged an electric power station in Kharkiv on Sunday. The shelling caused power outages in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Photo: Kostiantyn Liberov/VCG

Firefighters put out a fire after a rocket hits a police department in Kharkiv on Monday. Photo: Sergey Kozlov/The Paper