An armored ground assault by Russian forces on Friday near Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city, in the northeast of the country resulted in minor gains and the establishment of a new front in the long-running conflict between the east and the south.
The defense ministry said that while battle continued in the region's border areas, Ukraine sent troops. It also added that Russia had bombarded the frontier town of Vovchansk with artillery and guided aircraft bombs.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, stated at a press conference in Kyiv that "Russia has begun a new wave of counteroffensive actions in this direction." "Now there is a fierce battle in this direction."
Russia's build-up in the area, which Ukraine had warned about, might have been a precursor of an impending attack or a ruse to distract and outgun Ukraine's outnumbered and overextended troops. It remained uncertain if Moscow would carry out the attack.
For the first time, the Ukrainian General Staff disclosed in its nightly combat update that Russia was also assembling soldiers north of Kharkiv, close to the Ukrainian provinces of Sumy and portions of Chernihiv.
Russia may be getting ready for a major offensive in spring or summer, according to Zelenskiy. He told reporters that while Kyiv's soldiers were ready to repel any attack on Friday, Moscow might still send more troops to the region.
Russian armored forces began attacking at about five in the morning, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Battles to stop Russian offensive attempts to advance in the Kharkiv region are still ongoing, according to a General Staff update at 10 p.m.
Near Vovchansk, Russian forces moved 1 km (0.6 mile) inside the Ukrainian border, according to a senior military source in Ukraine who wished to remain anonymous.
In an effort to establish a buffer zone, the source claimed that Russian forces intended to drive Ukrainian troops back as far as 10 kilometers into Ukraine, but Kyiv's forces were attempting to stop them.
About Russia's Kharkiv attack, the White House stated that the US and Ukraine had been closely collaborating.
