In the direction of the village of Velikiy Burluk, between the cities of Vovchansk and Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, Russian forces regularly try to break through the border and have established a small zone of control nearby, Ukrinform reported, citing a television statement by the spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Viktor Tregubov, BTA reports.
"There is an axis of Velikiy Burluk. It is located exactly between the cities of Vovchansk and Kupyansk. It doesn't usually get much attention, but the Russians continue to push across the border there when they can, and have even established a small zone of control nearby, "talking about the eastern part of the South Slobozanshchyna axis," he said.
Tregubov also said that Ukrainian forces had turned the tide near Kupyansk, pushing Russian troops back to the northern outskirts of the city and creating an effective "death zone" that prevents the enemy from deploying reinforcements - although Russian propaganda continues to claim that the city has been taken.
He said Kupyansk has long had symbolic significance for Russian propaganda. Russian commanders have repeatedly tried to portray the situation as a story of victory, and in early November there were even a number of statements claiming that the city had been taken and Ukrainian forces were surrounded, Tregubov said.
"(Russian President Vladimir) Putin started telling stories that Kupyansk had already been taken, but this in no way corresponded to reality. At that moment, the situation was developing in exactly the opposite direction," he stressed.
Tregubov noted that Ukrainian forces had managed to push the Russians into the northern areas of the city, cut off their supply lines and systematically destroy enemy units.
Regarding the situation in Vovchansk, he reported that the city was almost completely destroyed, reduced to rubble. Russian forces control a significant part of it, while Ukrainian troops hold the southern part.
Tregubov's claims about the situation on the battlefield have not been independently verified.
The Ukrainian army, meanwhile, announced, again quoted by Ukrinform, that an operation to expand logistics corridors to Pokrovsk was underway.
The enemy is mired in urban fighting for Pokrovsk and is unable to take the city by force, it assured.
Pokrovsk, in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, has been a key target for the Russian army for months.