PUTIN has launched a surprise ground invasion near the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv – smashing open a new front in the war.
Russian forces pounded the town of Vovchansk with guided aerial bombs and artillery as Volodymyr Zelensky said a “fierce battle” is taking place.
EPARussian forces pounded the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv[/caption]
GettyA fire at the site of a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv today[/caption]
ReutersUkrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said a ‘fierce battle’ is taking place in the Kharkiv region[/caption]
Ukraine rushed in reserve units as fighting rages in the border areas of the Kharkiv region, the defence ministry said.
The ministry said: “At approximately 5am, there was an attempt by the enemy to break through our defensive line under the cover of armoured vehicles.
“As of now, these attacks have been repulsed; battles of varying intensity continue.”
A senior Ukrainian military source said Russian forces had pushed 1km inside the Ukrainian border near Vovchansk.
The source said Russian forces were trying to push Ukrainian troops as far back as 10km inside Ukraine as part of a bid to create a “buffer zone” – but Kyiv’s troops were trying to hold them back.
If Russia’s advances are confirmed, it would be Vlad’s biggest ground operation in the region since it sent thousands of troops across the border in February 2022.
Vovchansk administration head Tamaz Hambarishvili told Ukraine’s Hromadske Radio: “The entire town is under massive shelling now, it is not safe to stay here.”
Vlad has reportedly amassed 40,000 troops and some 500 tanks along the northeastern border – close to the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
The surprise invasion is thought to be tactical switch by Moscow that Ukrainian officials have been expecting for weeks as the war stretches into its third year.
Zelensky told a press conference in Kyiv that Ukrainian forces were prepared for the fight – but said Moscow could send more troops to the area.
“Russia launched a new wave of counter-offensive actions in this area,” he said.
“Ukraine met them there with our troops, brigades and artillery.
“Now there is a fierce battle under way in this direction.”
The Institute for the Study of War said it’s unlikely Russia will be able to take Kharkiv – but opening a new front in the war could force Ukraine to send more troops in, leaving other areas vulnerable to attack.
In 2022, Ukraine chased Russian troops out of most of the Kharkiv region following Russia‘s full-scale invasion.
But after weathering a Ukrainian counteroffensive last year, Russian forces are back on the offensive and slowly advancing in the Donetsk region that lies further south.
In March, Vlad called for the creation of a buffer zone inside Ukrainian territory “to protect Russia” – sparking concerns over the Kremlin’s intentions in the Kharkiv region.
Since then, Kharkiv has been battered by air strikes, damaging the region’s power infrastructure.
The Russian defence ministry has not commented on Friday’s attack – but Russian military bloggers reported active fighting in the area.
Russia has claimed to have captured at least two villages in the region this week.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian long-range drone struck an oil refinery inside Russia on Friday, officials said – a day after what appeared to be the deepest strike by Kyiv’s forces on Russian soil hit a petrochemical facility.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted refineries, hoping to disrupt Vlad’s war machine.
More to follow.
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