Kharkiv Conflict Escalates: Russian Assault Resumed
The assault near the village of Hlîboke in the Kharkiv region was resumed by the Russians on Saturday morning, according to Ukrainskaia Pravda, with the Ukrainian army anticipating an escalation of enemy fire.
"In the morning, the enemy resumed assault operations in certain areas near the village of Hlîboke. They fired artillery shots towards Starîția. A new intensification of fire is anticipated in other areas, especially Strilecea-Hlîboke," military sources informed the Ukrainian publication.
According to sources, there are currently no enemy assault actions in the Vovchansk sector, which was targeted by a Russian assault with armoured vehicles on Friday.
However, an air alert was triggered on Saturday morning in Kiev and all regions except for the western regions and Odessa. The army has warned of a threat of ballistic missile attacks in the areas where the air alert has been declared.
Since Friday, Russian occupation forces have intensified their activities in the Kharkiv region, located in northeastern Ukraine and bordering Russia, resulting in clashes.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russian troops have launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv sector. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine announced that reserve units have been sent to the northern part of the Kharkiv region, while the population is being evacuated in some localities.
Throughout the day, 30 localities in the Kharkiv region were subjected to air bombardments by Russians.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed on Friday that the Russian army achieved "significant tactical gains" by launching an offensive operation along the Russo-Ukrainian border in the northern Kharkiv region. On Friday, ISW evaluated that this operation aims to divert Ukrainian forces and equipment from other critical sectors of the front to enable Russian advancement into other regions of eastern Ukraine.
Therefore, ISW considers that this is not about a "large-scale offensive operation aimed at encircling, surrounding, and capturing Kharkiv," the second-largest city in Ukraine.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
