The Ukrainian military admitted on Monday that Russian forces are making progress in their offensive in the region northeast of Kharkiv.
Moscow’s troops have been engaged in a concerted push into the region, raising alarm among Ukrainians and their Western allies that a full-scale assault on the major city of Kharkiv is looming.
The city of Kharkiv, the second largest in Ukraine, is located just 30 kilometers south of the border with Russia.
“The enemy is currently achieving tactical success,” the Ukrainian General Staff said in its situation report published on social media on Monday morning.
Following the capture of several villages in the predominantly Russian-speaking Kharkiv region, fighting is currently ongoing around the city of Vovchansk, just 5 kilometers from the Russian border, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said.
Despite suffering heavy losses, Ukraine said the Russian military is mobilizing significant forces in the battle for Vovchansk, with up to five battalions attacking the city.
Vovchansk was under Russian occupation at the start of the war. During Ukraine’s 2022 autumn offensive in the Kharkiv region, Russian troops withdrew from Vovchansk. According to Ukrainian data, around 3,500 people still lived in the city at the time.
Russia launched a renewed campaign in the Kharkiv region on May 10. Over the past two days, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported the capture of nine villages.
