Ukraine’s leader met with senior military officials and wounded soldiers and said the situation was “very difficult” but “under control.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited the city of Kharkiv, following the military’s success in partially halting the Russian advance, especially the invasion of the important border town of Vovtyansk. He said the situation in the northeast was “under control.”
“The situation in the Kharkiv region is largely under control, and our soldiers are inflicting heavy losses on the occupiers. However, the situation in the region remains extremely difficult,” President Zelenskiy said Thursday in the capital. He said in a Telegram post after hearing the report from the government. kharkiv The area where Russia launched a surprise invasion last week.
Ukraine’s military said it had slowed Russian forces during what was described as one of the war’s most brutal phases.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously said that Russia is advancing on “all fronts” and that the military’s military strength will play a key role. acquisition of territory It attacked in the Kharkiv region and claimed to have also captured territory in eastern Donetsk and southern Zaporizhzhya.
“The situation in the Kharkiv region remains complex, but dynamically evolving,” Ukrainian military spokesman Nazar Voloshin said on state television on Thursday. “Our defense forces have partially stabilized the situation. The enemy’s advance in certain areas and areas has been stopped,” he added.
In Kharkov, I went to see our garrison soldiers who were wounded in the battles of the Kharkov region. I spoke to them and presented them with state awards.
I am grateful for the service and courage of our warriors. Ukraine is proud of all of them.
I would also like to thank our medical care… pic.twitter.com/9xUFxHxe4B
— Volodymyr Zelensky / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2024
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said in a statement that its forces had succeeded in thwarting a Russian plan to “infiltrate deep into Ukrainian towns.” Vovtyansk And that’s where you get a foothold. ”
The capture of Bobchansk, 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the border, would have been Russia’s most significant achievement since it began its invasion of the region last Friday.
However, reports of developments in Ukraine were denied by Russia’s appointed official in Ukraine, Vitaly Ganchev. He claimed that Vovtyansk was “on the verge of complete liberation” and said Russian troops were approaching the village of Lipsy, which is located on one of the main roads to Kharkov.
He told Russian state television: “Our troops are already on the outskirts. Work to liberate it has begun, aviation and artillery are constantly working and will not stop.”
accusation
Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko on Thursday accused Russia of detaining and killing civilians as they tried to enter Bobchansk.
“According to intelligence reports, Russian troops, trying to gain a foothold in the city, did not allow the evacuation of the population. They began to kidnap people and force them into the basements,” he said.
He said there were reports that Russian troops had shot and killed civilians. “One of the residents of Vovchansk tried to flee on foot, but refused to obey the orders of the invaders and was killed by the Russians.”
The report has not yet been independently verified.
Russian soldiers have previously been accused of executing civilians in parts of Ukraine they have occupied and controlled since the February 2022 invasion. In April 2022, the bodies of dozens of civilians, some with their hands bound, were found in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after a month-long occupation by Russian forces.
Ukraine has forced the evacuation of around 9,000 people from the Kharkiv region since Russia launched a new offensive, the region’s governor, Oleg Sinegubov, said on Thursday.
Between May 9 and 15, Russia made its biggest advance since December 2022, capturing 278 square kilometers (107 square miles) of territory, according to calculations by Agence France-Presse using data from the Institute for the Study of War. .