The Ukrainian defence ministry said Friday (May 10) that Russia has launched an armoured ground attack into the northeast Kharkiv region and made limited gains.
A senior Ukrainian military source said Russian forces had pushed 1 km inside the Ukrainian border near Vovchansk, Reuters reported.
The Ukrainian defence ministry said that it sent military reinforcements.
It added that Russian troops tried to break through with armoured vehicles in the early morning.
after Moscow launched a surprise new offensive there on Friday morning.
The Ukrainian defence ministry said Friday (May 10) that Russia has launched an armoured ground attack into the northeast Kharkiv region and made limited gains. Fighting there is ongoing, Kyiv said.
A senior Ukrainian military source said Russian forces had pushed 1 km inside the Ukrainian border near Vovchansk, Reuters reported. The source, who declined to be named, further said that the Russian forces were aiming to push Ukrainian troops as far back as 10 km inside Ukraine.
The source also said that Russia pushing in to create a buffer zone, which basically is a no-man's land and the advance checkpost will be manned by Russian troops. The move indicates that Moscow is apparently planning to make the region de facto Russian territory.
The Ukrainian defence ministry said that it sent military reinforcements. It added that Russian troops tried to break through with armoured vehicles in the early morning.
"At approximately 5:00 am (0200 GMT), the enemy attempted to break through our defence line under the cover of armoured vehicles," the ministry said, further adding, "As of now, these attacks have been repulsed; battles of varying intensity continue".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a "fierce battle" was underway in the Kharkiv region. after Moscow launched a surprise new offensive there on Friday morning.
"Russia launched a new wave of counter-offensive actions in this area. Ukraine met them there with our troops, brigades and artillery... Now there is a fierce battle under way in this direction," Zelensky said in a press conference in Kyiv.
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The assault opens a new front in the war more than two years since Russia's full-scale invasion, with analysts saying that the assault on Vovchansk could mark the start of a Russian attempt to carve out a "buffer zone", The Associated Press reported.
Earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to create such an area to halt frequent Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and other Russian border regions.
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(With inputs from agencies)
