Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his country has focused on the defense of Kharkiv, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
The second most populous city in Ukraine has recently been subjected to air attacks by Russia. In addition, there are fears that it may try to capture Kharkiv, which is located about 40 kilometers from the border.
Ukraine is "making maximum efforts to thwart Russian plans against Kharkiv," Zelensky said last night in his evening video address.
Ukraine's armed forces are preparing defense plans for the northeastern city, which they believe could become the target of a new Russian offensive, DPA notes.
"Together with our partners, we are working to strengthen air defense," said the President of Ukraine. He added that the focus "is now on Kharkiv: on the electricity supply situation and support for people and businesses in the city and the region.
Yesterday, the Ukrainian president met in the capital Kyiv with senior military personnel to discuss the defense of the northeastern city, which has recently been subjected to constant airstrikes by Russia.
A total of six people were killed in Russian bombing and shelling in Ukraine yesterday, AFP reported, citing local authorities.
Three people were killed and eight were injured in an airstrike on an industrial site in the southeastern Zaporozhye region.
A day earlier, three people were killed in similar attacks in the same region, AFP recalls.
Bombings in the Sumy region, in the north, claimed one victim. Five people were injured.
A 77-year-old woman was killed by artillery shelling on Chasov Yar in eastern Donetsk region. Three people were wounded in the attack on the city, which is now the main target of the Russian offensive.
One person died, and five people, including three children, were injured in a shelling in the central Poltava region.
Russia has recently stepped up strikes in Ukraine, targeting the electricity grid in particular, in response to Ukrainian attacks targeting Russian oil refineries in retaliation for bombings of Ukrainian cities, AFP notes.