Russia's intense offensive in the Kharkiv region sparks fierce battle

The battle for Vovchansk, a city in the Kharkiv region, continues 24 hours a day. Ukrainian howitzer crews in the Kharkiv region, where the Russian offensive has been ongoing for several days, have started receiving ammunition supplied to Ukraine by the USA as part of renewed military aid deliveries.

Ukrainian soldiers have been facing an artillery ammunition deficit since the beginning of the year. This was due to prolonged negotiations in the US Congress. The aid package, passed in April, is now reaching Ukraine.

Reuters reported that Russians are conducting an intense offensive in the Kharkiv region. The aggressor aims to create a "buffer zone" on the northeastern Russian-Ukrainian border to prevent the Ukrainian army from attacking Russian territory.

Vovchansk, where intense fighting is currently taking place, is located about 70 kilometres from Kharkiv, the capital of the Kharkiv region and the second-largest city in Ukraine after Kyiv. Vladimir Putin recently declared that the Russian army's current goal is not to capture Kharkiv, but an intense strike on this region is ongoing.

Ukrainian artillerymen speaking with Reuters claim that the fighting in the northern areas of the Kharkiv region is significantly more intense than in Bakhmut, where they previously fought. The months-long battle for Bakhmut was considered the most bloody infantry clash since the end of World War II. The Russians captured the city in May 2023.

Located about 5 kilometres from the border of Ukraine with Russia, Vovchansk is 60% controlled by Ukrainian forces. Capturing the entire city would be the biggest success for the Russians since the start of the offensive in the Kharkiv region.

The Ukrainian defenders say they will hold the Vovchansk line only if weapon supplies are regular. We are facing a large and serious enemy grouping. If we can now show that we can handle such an extreme situation and stop a large attack on Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region, the enemy will not dare to think of attacking the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Poltava regions—emphasize the soldiers.

Source: "Rzeczpospolita"