Kharkiv: According to a Russian-installed official quoted by Russia’s RIA state news agency, Russian forces are gearing up to seize the village of Lyptsi, located approximately 30 km (19 miles) north of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
Last week, Russia initiated a new front in the ongoing Ukraine conflict by swiftly advancing across the border into the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine, deploying small, highly mobile units. This incursion prompted Ukraine to mobilize troops from other regions to counter the threat.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskiy postponed all scheduled foreign trips as the situation on Ukraine’s battlefield continued to deteriorate, with reports of intense fighting in the northeastern border town of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region.
Vitaly Ganchev, a Russian-installed official in Ukraine, emphasized the significance of Volchansk, stating that it is “undoubtedly” on the verge of being liberated. He further reported that Russian troops are now encroaching upon Lyptsi, situated on a key road leading to Kharkiv.
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“Our guys are already on the outskirts [of Lyptsi]. Work is beginning to liberate it, aviation and artillery are working constantly, they do not stop,” Ganchev remarked.
Despite the advancing Russian forces, the Ukrainian military asserted on Thursday that its defensive maneuvers had compelled Russian troops to scale back the pace of their offensive operations in the northern part of the Kharkiv region.
