Russia's Defense Ministry said today that Russian forces have captured five villages located near the border of Ukraine's Kharkiv region with Russia, Reuters reported, BTA reported.
Russia launched an offensive against Kharkiv region yesterday. In its briefing today, the ministry said that Russian forces have captured the villages of Pletenivka, Ogirtseve, Borisivka, Pilna and Strilecha, which immediately border Russia's Belgorod region.
The Russian ministry also said that Moscow forces had captured the village of Keramik in the Donetsk region. Russian forces launched a new ground offensive in northeastern Ukraine yesterday, according to Ukrainian representatives, forcing more than 1,700 people to evacuate from the Kharkiv region, the Associated Press notes. More than 30 settlements became the target of artillery fire and aerial bombardment, during which three people were killed and five were injured, said the regional governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleg Sinegubov.
Kiev authorities sent reinforcements to the Kharkiv region yesterday to prevent a breach of the defense lines.
In late March, Russian forces began more intensive bombing of Kharkiv, which is Ukraine's second largest city. The new offensive against the Kharkiv region is an indication of a change in Moscow's military tactics, which Ukrainian officials have been expecting for weeks.
Russian military bloggers said the attack may be the start of a Russian attempt to create a "buffer zone" that Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to create earlier this year to end frequent Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod region and other border Russian regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed yesterday evening that Russian forces are expanding their operations. He called on Ukraine's Western allies to ensure that promised military aid quickly reaches the front lines.