Ukraine’s forces have evacuated from numerous parts of the country’s northeast, citing rising pressure from a fresh Russian operation, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has postponed all international travel, emphasizing the gravity of the threat.
The moves came as Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow’s new operation was “going to plan” and that Russian forces were upgrading their positions on a daily basis, even as the US rushed to send weaponry and ammunition to Ukraine.
Related posts
Late on Tuesday, the Ukrainian military announced that forces had withdrawn from regions in Lukyantsi and Vovchansk near Kharkiv “to save the lives of our servicemen and avoid losses.”.
Last week, Moscow launched a surprise big offensive attack on the Kharkiv region in an attempt to advance while Kyiv struggles for weapons and personnel.
In his nightly video message on Tuesday, Zelenskiy stated that the army had dispatched reinforcements to the Kharkiv and Donetsk districts. “It is too early to draw conclusions, but the situation is under control,” he stated.
The president of Ukraine had planned visits to Spain and possibly Portugal later this week, but he canceled all international travel.
Against the backdrop of increasing Russian pressure, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a $2 billion arms purchase to reassure the allies of America’s continued backing.
On Wednesday, Blinken stated that the US is expediting the delivery of the delivery of ammunition, armored vehicles, missiles, and air defenses to Ukraine to ensure their timely delivery to the frontlines.
“I understand that this is a really, really difficult time. Your soldiers and residents, notably in the north-east of Kharkiv, are suffering greatly,” Blinken stated.
“But they must know, and you must know, that the United States and much of the rest of the world support you.” And they are fighting not just for a free Ukraine but also for the free globe, and the free world stands with you.”
Blinken is in Ukraine as Moscow’s soldiers seek to consolidate on the advantage they have gained over depleted Ukrainian forces, whose supply of US munitions dried up during the winter due to delays imposed by Republicans in Congress.
Vovchansk, 3 miles from the Russian border and 31 miles from Kharkiv, has seen much of the recent fighting, with Ukrainian and Russian troops clashing in the streets on Wednesday.
The defense ministry’s spokeswoman, Dmytro Lazutkin, stated that “some” Russian infantry groups had reached the town, which military analysts say Moscow needs to seize in order to continue its offensive push in that area.
Police stayed in Vovchansk and continued to remove residents. Vovchansk and nearby border settlements have evacuated about 8,000 people since Friday’s assault.
Russia’s takeover of the town would be its most major victory since it launched an assault into the Kharkiv region on Friday, establishing a new front and pushing Kyiv to rush in troops.
“Units of the north group of troops liberated the settlements of Glyboke and Lukyantsi in the Kharkiv region and also advanced deep into the enemy defenses,” the Russian defense ministry stated, citing its recent successes.
The defense ministry also announced that it had captured the southern Ukrainian village of Robotyne, one of just a few settlements that Kyiv retook at a high cost during its summer counteroffensive last year. Ukraine refuted the report, citing disinformation.
Russia is building new fronts in order to stretch Ukraine’s army, which is running low on ammunition and men, along the approximately 620-mile (1,000-kilometer) frontier, hoping that defenses will fail. Russian artillery and sabotage missions have also targeted Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
The Institute for the Study of War said late Tuesday that Russia’s advance in the Kharkiv border region, where it launched an offensive late last week and has made great headway, has stalled.
According to the Washington-based research tank, Moscow’s primary goal was to establish a “buffer zone” to deter Ukrainian cross-border attacks on Russia’s Belgorod region.
