(Kyiv) Russia claimed Saturday the takeover of six villages in eastern Ukraine, where hundreds of people were evacuated Saturday from areas close to the Russian border.
Russian forces, pushed back almost two years ago from this area of northeastern Ukraine, have recently made a series of small advances against the Ukrainian army, short of recruits and weapons.
In the latest advance, the Russian Defense Ministry said its troops had “liberated” the Ukrainian villages of Borisivka, Ogirtseve, Pletenivka, Pylna and Strilecha in the Kharkiv region, near the border with Russia, as well as the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region, further south.
On the Ukrainian side, “a total of 1,775 people were evacuated”, previously indicated the governor of the region, Oleg Synegubov, adding that Russia had carried out artillery and mortar fire on 30 localities in the area over the last 24 hours.
On the way out of Kharkiv, evacuees, many of them elderly, arrived in cars and vans, loaded with as much belongings as possible, at an evacuation point.
Evacuees are registered and provided with food, while medical assistance is provided in makeshift tents.
“We must interrupt Russian offensive operations and regain the initiative,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.
He reported Friday evening “intense fighting” across the entire front line.
The region of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, has been largely under the control of Kyiv’s forces since September 2022.
” Buffer ”
A senior Ukrainian military source said Russian forces had advanced a kilometer into Ukraine and were trying to “create a buffer zone” in that region and neighboring Sumy to prevent attacks on Russian territory.
Ukrainian forces have increased strikes inside Russia and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, particularly against energy infrastructure.
On Saturday, authorities installed by Moscow in the Luhansk region, occupied by Russia in eastern Ukraine, announced the death of three people in a Ukrainian attack, carried out with American-made missiles, on an oil depot .
The governor, Leonid Pasechnik, said the strike had “enveloped the oil depot in flames and damaged surrounding houses.” “The death toll stands at three and eight other people are hospitalized,” he said on social media.
In Russia, media reported two people killed by Ukrainian strikes in the Belgorod and Kursk regions.
Ukrainian authorities indicated that six civilians were killed on Friday by Russian bombings in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Kherson regions.
“Tactical gains”
For weeks, Ukrainian officials have been warning that Moscow could try to attack the northeastern border regions, pushing its advantage, as Ukraine faces delays in Western aid and a shortage of fighters.
The Ukrainian military said it had deployed more troops to the region, where Zelensky said Ukrainian forces were using artillery and drones to thwart the Russian advance.
“Reserve units have been deployed to strengthen the defense in this area of the front,” the army said.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Friday that Russia had made “significant tactical gains” but that the main objective of the operation was “to attract Ukrainian human capabilities and equipment from other critical sectors of the front.”
It does not appear to be a “large-scale offensive operation aimed at enveloping, encircling and seizing Kharkiv”, judged the ISW.
After the attack began, Washington announced on Friday new military aid of $400 million to “provide assistance to Ukraine”, while the Russian offensive will “intensify”, according to the White House.