Ukrainian military units now have “combat control” over regions where Russian forces initially penetrated in the northeastern territory of Kharkiv, as announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In his regular evening video update on Friday, Zelenskiy stated that Ukrainian forces had successfully retaken control over the border area from the Russian invaders, a claim which seems to contradict Russian official statements.
Tass, the Russian state news agency, cited Viktor Vodolatskiy of Russia’s lower parliament, claiming that Russian forces had achieved control of more than 50% of the town of Vovchansk, located approximately 5km into the border. Ever since the May 10th Russian incursion into the Kharkiv region, Vovchansk has been the centrepiece of the ongoing conflict.
However, third-party verification of these assertions remains elusive. Ay further clashes allegedly will focus on the neighbouring Donetsk region’s cities – Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Pokrovsk- once Vovchansk is fully captured.
Russian authorities are orchestrating an extensive offensive, including checks on Ukrainian defenses in the southern Donetsk area, with consecutive attacks being launched in the Sumy and Chernihiv zones in the north. Vladimir Putin, Russia’s President, has stated that the goal of these operations is to form a “buffer zone” in the Kharkiv region to obstruct Ukrainian assaults across the border.
The city of Kharkiv, the namesake and principal city of its region, lies around 19km from the Russian border. As part of this new offensive, Russian forces have recently commandeered several villages to potentially move their artillery range closer to the city.
The Ukrainian government has responded to the offensive by evacuating over 11,000 residents from the affected areas. This Russian initiative forms Ukraine’s greatest challenge since the complete invasion by Russia in February 2022, as Ukrainian forces, both outnumbered and out-weaponised, are put under significant strain along the 1,000km eastern Ukrainian front line.
The mounting pressure faced by Ukraine in its efforts to resist its significantly larger nemesis signals a potentially pivotal turning point in the war.