Russian forces are said to have launched a limited offensive against Kharkiv county in northeastern Ukraine on Friday morning.
This is reported by local military authorities on Telegram.
Throughout the night, Russia is said to have carried out a series of artillery attacks against a number of Ukrainian villages bordering the Russian county of Belgorod.
– Not lost a meter
Russian forces are said to have also attempted to cross the border into Ukraine, but these reports have not been independently confirmed.
– The Ukrainian defense is holding its positions. Not a single meter has been lost. The enemy poses no threat to Kharkiv, and is only capable of carrying out provocations, writes Oleh Sinjehubov, the governor of Kharkiv region, on Telegram.
The Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reports that fighting will take place on Friday afternoon along the border between Ukrainian Kharkiv and Russian Belgorod.
Evacuate city
The Ukrainian city of Vovchansk will be hardest hit by the Russian attacks. The city will be evacuated by the Ukrainian authorities on Friday afternoon, writes the Ukrainian online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda.
Earlier on Friday, the Ukrainian authorities initiated the evacuation of civilians in Vovchansk and nearby areas.
– Together with humanitarian organisations, we set up transport for those who do not have cars, says head of Vovchansk’s military administration, Tamaz Gamarashvili.
Ukrainian authorities have previously warned that Vladimir Putin’s brutal war machine could again carry out coordinated ground and air attacks against Kharkiv Oblast, which was liberated by Ukrainian forces in autumn 2022.
Possible misleading
Lieutenant Colonel Palle Ydstebø, head of the Military Academy, is not surprised by Russia’s ground offensive in Kharkiv.
Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
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Up to 40,000 soldiers are now to be gathered on the Russian side of the border near the Kharkiv region.
– It has not been verified whether this is Russian deception to draw Ukrainian soldiers away from more important areas, or whether it is a serious attack on Kharkiv. It can be both, says Ydstebø.
He says there are two possible explanations for the ground offensive: either to take control of Kharkiv, which is strategically important for Ukraine, or to tie up Ukrainian forces in order to advance elsewhere.
Taking full control of Luhansk and Donetsk counties has been a stated goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Waiting for F-16 aircraft
An anonymous but high-ranking Ukrainian military source tells the news agency Reuters that the first F-16 fighters are expected at the turn of June-July, without the source saying which country the fighters come from.
