KYIV: Ukrainian forces have secured “combat control” of areas where Russian troops entered the northeastern Kharkiv region earlier this month, President Vlodymyr Zelenskyysaid.
Meanwhile, two people were killed Saturday in an aerial attack on the city of Kharkiv, which is the region’s capital, according to local officials.
Kharkiv is about 20km from the Russian border.Moscow’s troops have in recent weeks captured villages in the area as part of a broad push, and analysts say they may be trying to get within artillery range of the city. Ukrainian authorities have evacuated more than 11,000 people from the region since the start of the offensive on May 10. “Our soldiers have now managed to take combat control of the border area where the Russian occupiers entered,” Zelenskyysaid in his nightly video address on Friday evening. Zelensky’s comments, however, appeared to be at odds with those made by Russian officials.
Viktor Vodolatsky, a member of Russian lower house of parliament, said Russian forces now controlled more than half of the town of Vovchansk, 5km inside the border, Russian state news agency Tass reported Friday. Vovchansk has been a flashpoint for fighting since Russia launched the offensive in the Kharkiv region. Vodolatsky was also quoted as saying that once Vovchansk was secured, Russian forces would target the cities of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk in the neighbouring Donetsk region. Independent confirmation of the claims wasn’t immediately possible.