Russian forces advancing near the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv are likely to limit its advance to the rapid creation of a buffer zone between the two countries, DPA reported, BTA reported.
This objective is clearly being prioritized over a deeper offensive in the Kharkiv region, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War wrote in its latest report yesterday. Geolocation footage released yesterday showed that Russian forces who crossed the border last week entered the village of Gliboke, about 30 km north of the city of Kharkiv, and raised the Russian flag in the center.
Additional photos show that Russian troops have advanced southwest of the village of Oleinikovo. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that Russian troops had achieved some success near the village of Lukyantsi, also east of Gliboke.
On Friday, Russia launched an offensive in the Kharkiv region, after which the Ministry of Defense announced the capture of several villages. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the military is doing everything in its power to prevent Russia from expanding the front and has launched a counter-offensive. "The region has been strengthened," Zelensky said in his video address last night.
Russian forces that invaded Ukraine in February 2022 initially captured large parts of Kharkiv Oblast, but not the country's second-largest city itself, before being pushed back by a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the fall, notes DPA.