(Dan Tri) – Russia launched two attacks on Northern Ukraine on May 10.
Ukraine sends reinforcements to Kharkov to deal with Russia’s new attack (Photo: AFP).
Guardian quoted Ukrainian military sources as saying that Moscow forces had advanced at least 1km toward the town of Vovchansk, Kharkov province, northeastern Ukraine.
In addition, Russian forces also advanced 5km toward the village of Krasne, located along the border, about 75km west of Vovchansk.
This is Russia’s unprecedented cross-border attack on Northern Ukraine since the conflict broke out more than 2 years ago.
Ukrainian officials have not provided much information about Russia’s second attack, although the Ukrainian General Staff late on May 10 noted Russian attacks in the Krasne area and two neighboring villages.
Notably, DeepStateMap, a Ukrainian monitoring group that updates front-line developments daily, shows that four adjacent villages, including Strileche, Krasne, Pylna and Borysivka, are located in the gray area, or in other words, the territory.
Also according to DeepStateMap, Russia currently deploys about 40,000 soldiers along the border with Ukraine.
Previously, some Ukrainian news agencies said that Russia had taken control of four villages in Kharkov including Strileche, Krasne, Pylna and Borysivka and was trying to advance towards Vovchansk.
However, Mr. Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv military government, northeastern Ukraine, said on May 10 that the Ukrainian army had repelled all Russian attacks in this area and still preserved its territory.
`The enemy (Russia) launched a new wave of attacks north of Kharkiv. Our combat brigades engaged the enemy with firepower. All attacks were repelled. To date, we
Russia took control of Kharkov right from the first days of the military campaign.
However, recently, Moscow has begun to increase its attacks on Kharkov, in an effort to turn it into a security buffer zone for Russia’s border regions.
Analysts note that if Russia can advance further, it could bring the northern edge of the city of Kharkiv into range of Russian artillery.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said yesterday that Russia began launching a new large-scale attack in Kharkov.
Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman for Ukraine’s Khortytsia military group, said that Russia’s activities against Kharkov could be part of a psychological campaign to make Ukraine withdraw troops from hot spots in the East.
Ukrainian Army Commander Oleksandr Pavliuk said that the next two months will be an important period in the conflict as Moscow increases its offensive to control as much territory as possible before Western aid to Kiev arrives and