Russia gains several small footholds in Kharkiv region, military says
Photo: Russian forces establish several small footholds in Kharkiv region (Getty Images)
Russian forces have established several small areas of control along the South Slobozhanskyi axis near the Ukrainian border over the past few weeks, Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces grouping, said this during a national telethon.
"Activity over the past few days (in the Joint Forces' area of responsibility - ed.) has decreased somewhat. But this is a short-term development, as activity was quite high during the week. This was particularly the case on the Lyman and South Slobozhanskyi axes, where the enemy continues its active attacks," Trehubov said.
On the Lyman axis, he said, Russian forces attempted to advance directly toward the city of Lyman and establish a foothold there.
In the South Slobozhanskyi area, "the attempt is to break through and find gaps directly along the Ukrainian border in order to establish small but nonetheless areas of control," the spokesperson said.
Trehubov noted that Ukrainian forces have generally managed to prevent the enemy's attempts in both areas.
At the same time, several new areas of Russian control have emerged on the South Slobozhanskyi axis over the past few weeks. However, these are very close to the border and cover only small areas.
Situation on the front
As a reminder, we previously reported that Russian forces were attempting to "probe" Ukrainian defenses along almost the entire front line. The situation remains particularly difficult on five axes.
Russian forces have also adopted a new tactic to capture Lyman in Donetsk region. Russian sabotage and reconnaissance groups are stepping up attempts to establish positions in the areas of Zarichne and Yampil.
In addition, Russian forces are attempting to establish a so-called "zone of control" along Ukraine's entire state border. The enemy is using small infantry groups and looking for new points to break through the Ukrainian defense line.
