Russia claims to have control over five villages in northeast Ukraine - as more than 1,700 civilians flee from Vovchansk, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
While Ukrainian officials haven't officially confirmed whether Russia has taken the villages in question, reports from Ukrainian journalists seem to suggest that they have. These villages are located in a disputed "grey zone" along the border of Ukraine's Kharkiv region and Russia.
Ukrainian journalists suggest that the villages of Borysivka, Ohirtseve, Pylna and Strilecha were captured by Russian forces on Friday. Meanwhile, Russia also claims to have captured the village of Pletenivka. The Institute for the Study of War confirmed on Friday that geo-located footage verifies at least one of the villages was seized. Russia's latest advances have been described by the Washington-based think-tank as "tactically significant."
Putin's latest move has forced more than 1,700 civilians living in settlements near the conflict zone to evacuate, as per Ukrainian authorities. This comes after Russia escalated attacks in March targeting energy infrastructure and settlements, which analysts believe is a strategic move by Moscow to set conditions for an offensive.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday evening that Russian troops were broadening their strategies (Global Images Ukraine via Getty)Russian military enthusiasts believe that the attack suggests the beginning of a Russian plan to establish a "buffer zone", the Daily Star reported. It is a concept that President Vladimir Putin pledged to do earlier this year to cease regular Ukrainian offensives on Belgorod and other areas near the Russian border.
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There is also increasing worry that, without enough provisions, Russia could potentially sever supply lines and impose a blockade on the city of Kharkiv, home to 1.1 million citizens. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday evening that Russian troops were broadening their strategies. He also urged his country's Western allies to ensure that they promptly dispatch the assured supplies of military aid to the battlefronts.
In a video message on X, formerly Twitter, he said: "It is critical that partners support our warriors and Ukrainian resilience with timely deliveries. Truly timely ones. A package that truly helps is the actual delivery of weapons to Ukraine, rather than just the announcement of a package."
This attack was commenced from two distinct areas in the Kharkiv region early on Friday, as per statements made by Ukrainian officials and analysts. Russian assault teams strove to penetrate the defensive lines of the Ukrainians in the city of Vovchansk and an area situated north of the village called Lyptsi.
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