Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening video address that fighting is taking place in a number of villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region, while Russian forces are trying to make their way, reported Ukrinform and Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Fierce fighting is also taking place in parts of the Donetsk region, he added. According to Zelensky, "defensive battles" along large stretches of the border in Kharkiv, where Russian forces launched a large-scale offensive on Friday. "There are settlements that have practically been transformed from a "grey area" in a zone of military operations", stressed the Ukrainian president. "The occupier tries to gain a foothold in some of them, while others are used to advance further.
Ukrainian forces are countering with artillery and drones, Zelensky noted, thanking the participants in the fighting.
He said the fighting was "no less sharp" in some areas of the Donetsk region. According to him, over the past 24 hours, thirty armed clashes have taken place in the Pokrovsky sector, northwest of the Russian-controlled town of Avdeevka. Fighting also took place in the regions of Liman, Kupyansk, Kramatorsk and others.
"And one more thing. Russian psychological operations are always the energy for Russian ground operations. The occupier feeds on lies and the fear that follows lies. Defensive battles are never easy. And they always become more difficult when the enemy succeeds in using fear," Zelensky also warned, urging Ukrainians not to give in to emotions.