Residents hug soldiers after the liberation of Balakliya

Footage said to have been shot in the town of Balakliya near Kharkiv shows residents welcoming soldiers after Ukrainian forces recaptured the town.

Balakliya lies about 70 kilometers southeast of the city of Kharkiv, in the center of the territory in which Ukraine has launched a major counter-offensive.

A video posted on Twitter by Ukrainian journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk shows men and women coming out of a building to hug soldiers as they arrive.

Some of the people can be seen crying.

Another shows two women hugging soldiers and taking photos with soldiers gathered in a square.