The Russian Defense Ministry declared on Saturday May 11 that its forces had taken control of six villages in eastern Ukraine. This announcement comes att the day after Russia launched a surprise cross-border ground offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. The ministry said on Telegram that the troops had “released” the Ukrainian villages of Borisivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha near Kharkiv, as well as the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region. Follow our live stream.
“Intense” fighting, according to the Ukrainian president. Late Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported “intense fights” across the entire front line. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry assured that the assaults in the Kharkiv region had been “rejected” Friday morning, but only “fights of various intensities” continued and that reserve units had been deployed to “strengthen the defense” of the area.
At least three dead in the region. According to the local prosecutor’s office, at least two civilians were killed by strikes and four others injured on Friday in Vovchansk, another civilian having been killed during a strike in the town of Cherkaski Tychky, north of Kharkiv.
New American aid. In the wake of the Russian attack, the United States announced on Friday new aid of 400 million dollars (around 370 million euros), after months of blocking American military support. The Ukrainian president’s office affirmed that it will notably consist of anti-aircraft missiles for the Patriot and NASAMS systems, as well as ammunition for artillery and Himars rocket launchers.