Ukraine has sent reinforcements to its eastern Kharkiv region and evacuated more civilians from areas near its border with Russia, as Moscow’s forces continued ground and air attacks on the province to stretch and weaken Ukrainian defences.
Russian troops have claimed control of several Ukrainian villages in the sparsely populated “grey zone” near the frontier with Kharkiv province in recent days, while also intensifying their shelling of the border town of Vovchansk.
“Our soldiers are holding back the enemy in these areas… The situation is quite difficult, but absolutely all enemy attacks are being repulsed,” Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said on Monday.
“The grey zone is growing, the front line is growing, because the enemy is trying to deliberately stretch them out, attacking in small groups in new directions,” he added. The term “grey zone” refers to areas not under the full and clear control of either side.
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More than two years since it was invaded by Russia, Ukraine is outgunned and outnumbered on the battlefield as it awaits new western arms supplies and the deployment of fresh soldiers mobilised through a slow-moving and unpopular conscription system that is now being overhauled.
Military analysts say Russia’s attack on the Kharkiv region is probably intended to draw some Ukrainian units away from the defence of neighbouring Donetsk province, which has been the main focus of Moscow’s efforts for many months.
Russia’s military is now pounding the battlefield and frontline towns and villages with so-called glide bombs, weighing up to 1.5 tonnes, which are launched from planes that are beyond the range of Ukraine’s air defence systems and ageing air force.
Kyiv hopes to receive dozens of US-made F-16 fighter jets from western allies later this year.
Mr Synehubov said about 5,700 residents of areas under heavy attack had been evacuated to safer places in recent days, and that some 1,600 more were scheduled to be moved on Monday. He also announced the compulsory evacuation from border towns and villages of more than 100 children in foster and social care.
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“The defence forces are holding back the enemy on all approaches to the town,” he wrote in a social media post from Vovchansk. “We will definitely hold out! Vovchansk is Ukraine!”
Ukraine appointed BrigGen Mykhailo Drapatyi to take command of operations in the Kharkiv region, where the military general staff said Russia’s forces had achieved some “tactical success” near Vovchansk.
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“Along the entire front line, the enemy continues to carry out missile and air strikes,” the general staff said in an update on Monday afternoon.
“In the Kharkiv direction, the enemy continues offensive actions… At the same time, the defence forces are conducting counterattacks,” the military added. “To strengthen the troops, reserves created in advance were moved to the Kharkiv direction. Depending how the situation develops, the grouping could grow further. The troops are supplied with the required number of weapons.”
Moscow’s defence ministry said its forces had “improved the tactical situation and delivered strikes on [Ukrainian] personnel and hardware” near Vovchansk and neighbouring villages, while “repelling” five counterattacks in the area by Kyiv’s troops.
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