Around 10,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine due to a surprise ground assault by Russian forces that began over a week ago, according to local officials on Saturday.
Oleh Syniehubov, the region’s governor, reported that “a total of 9,907 people have been evacuated” since the attack started on May 10.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that this could be a precursor to a larger offensive in the area.
Kyiv claims it has currently halted the Russian advance, which initially moved between 5 to 10 kilometers from the border.
Syniehubov stated that Ukrainian forces repelled two Russian attempts to breach the front lines on Friday night and Saturday morning, maintaining that the situation is “under control… the defenders are conducting attacks and clearing operations in some areas.”
He added that “in the area of Vovchans’k city (located 5 kilometers from the border), Ukrainian forces are strengthening their defenses.”
On Friday, Syniehubov mentioned that Russian forces began destroying the city, where only 200 residents remain after others fled due to the bombardment.
Zelensky expressed his concern in an interview with Agence France-Presse on Friday, fearing that the Russian ground offensive in Kharkiv might just be the first wave of a broader assault in the north and east.
He indicated that the Russian operation “could include several waves, and this is the first wave.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the attack was a response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory in recent months, asserting that his forces are advancing “as planned.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Friday that their military continues to progress in northeastern Ukraine, having taken control of 12 villages in the Kharkiv region over the past week since the new ground offensive began.
In Odesa, the Russian news agency TASS reported that Ukrainian military logistics centers were targeted by airstrikes on Friday night and Saturday morning.
Sources within the security services confirmed to TASS, “the destruction of enemy logistics centers as a result of nighttime strikes in the Odesa region.”
