Ukrainian chief meets army high brass, wounded troopers and says scenario is ‘very tough’ however ‘underneath management’.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has travelled to the town of Kharkiv and mentioned the scenario within the northeast is “underneath management” after the army managed to partially halt a Russian advance, most notably thwarting an invasion of the important thing border city of Vovchansk.
“The scenario within the Kharkiv area is usually underneath management, and our troopers are inflicting vital losses on the occupier. Nevertheless, the realm stays extraordinarily tough,” Zelenskyy mentioned on Thursday in a publish on Telegram after listening to reviews from his commanders within the capital of the Kharkiv area, the place Russia launched a lightning incursion final week.
The Ukrainian military mentioned it had slowed down Russian troops throughout what has been described as some of the gruelling phases of the battle.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had beforehand mentioned that Russia was advancing on “all fronts”, the army making main territorial gains within the Kharkiv space, claiming to have additionally captured territory within the japanese Donetsk and southern Zaporizhia areas.
“The scenario within the Kharkiv sector stays sophisticated however is evolving in a dynamic method,” Ukrainian military spokesman Nazar Voloshin mentioned on state TV on Thursday. “Our defence forces have partially stabilised the scenario. The advance of the enemy in sure zones and localities has been halted,” he added.
In Kharkiv, I went to see our defenders who had been wounded within the Kharkiv area battles. I spoke with them and introduced them with state awards.
I’m grateful to our warriors for his or her service and bravado. Ukraine is proud of all of them.
I additionally need to thank our medical… pic.twitter.com/9xUFxHxe4B
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 16, 2024
The Common Workers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces mentioned in an announcement that the army had managed to forestall Russian plans “to penetrate deeper into the city of Vovchansk and acquire a foothold there”.
The seize of Vovchansk, 5km (3 miles) from the border, had it occurred, would have been Russia’s most necessary acquire because it launched an incursion into the area final Friday.
Nevertheless, reviews of Ukrainian progress had been contradicted by Vitaly Ganchev, a Russian-installed official in Ukraine. Claiming that Vovchansk was on the “verge of full liberation”, he mentioned that Russian troops had been approaching the village of Lyptsi, positioned on one of many important highway routes to Kharkiv.
He instructed Russian state tv that, “Our guys are already on the outskirts. Work is starting to liberate it, aviation and artillery are working continuously, they don’t cease.”
Accusations
Ukraine’s Inside Minister Ihor Klymenko on Thursday accused Russia of detaining and killing civilians in Vovchansk because it tried to achieve entry.
“In response to intelligence reviews, the Russian army, making an attempt to achieve a foothold within the metropolis, didn’t enable residents to evacuate. They started abducting folks and driving them to basements,” he mentioned.
He mentioned there have been reviews that the Russian army had shot civilians. “One of many residents of Vovchansk tried to flee on foot, refused to observe the instructions of the invaders, and was killed by the Russians.”
The reviews have but to be independently verified.
Russian troopers have beforehand been accused of executing civilians in components of Ukraine they captured and managed for the reason that February 2022 invasion. In April 2022, the our bodies of dozens of civilians, some with their palms tied, had been discovered within the Kyiv suburb of Bucha after a month-long occupation by Russian forces.
Ukraine has been pressured to evacuate virtually 9,000 folks from the Kharkiv area since Russia launched the brand new assault, regional governor Oleg Synegubov mentioned on Thursday.
Between Could 9 and 15, Russia made a few of its most vital beneficial properties since December 2022, capturing 278 sq. kilometres (107 sq. miles) of territory, in accordance with calculations from information company AFP, utilizing knowledge from the Institute for the Research of Warfare.
