MOSCOW: Russian troops seized another four villages - Hatyshche, Krasne, Morokhovets, Oliinykove - in Kharkiv region in Ukraine, Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday.
Russia launched a new assault from its territory into the northern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv on Friday, threatening to open a new front in the 27-month war. Moscow said on Saturday it had captured five villages, while Kyiv said it was repulsing the attacks and battling for control of the settlements.
Ukraine's military chief said on Sunday his country's forces were facing a difficult situation in fighting in the Kharkiv region, but that they were doing all they could to hold the line.
"Units of the Defense Forces are fighting fierce defensive battles, the attempts of the Russian attacks to break through our defenses have been stopped," Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram app.
"The situation is difficult, but the Defense Forces of Ukraine are doing everything to hold defensive lines and positions, (and) inflict damage on the enemy," he added.
Ukraine is currently on the defensive against Russia, which has a significant advantage in manpower and munitions.
Kyiv says several months of delays by the U.S. Congress to vote through a massive aid package have cost it on the battlefield. It now hopes significant quantities of the newly approved assistance will arrive quickly to shore up the defence effort.
"The enemy is conducting their actions on two fronts... they are trying to widen the front," military spokesperson Nazar Voloshyn said on Ukrainian television on Sunday.
He said the main thrusts of Russia's attack were aimed at the towns of Vovchansk and Lyptsi.
Lyptsi is about 20 km from the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. In 2022, Russian forces reached the city's suburbs before being driven back to the border.
Voloshyn urged residents to stay calm, saying that Russia was waging an information campaign to sow panic alongside its military assault.
"The population should remain calm... the defence forces are holding the lines, the situation is under control," the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, At least seven people were killed and 17 injured when a whole section of a Russian apartment block collapsed after it was struck by a Soviet-era missile launched by Ukraine and shot down by Russia, Russian officials said. In one of the deadliest attacks to date on the region of Belgorod, Ukraine launched what Russian officials said was a massive missile attack with Tochka ballistic missiles and Adler and RM-70 Vampire (MLRS) multiple launch rocket systems. — Reuters
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