“The situation in the Kharkiv region is difficult,” Zelenskyy said in a televised speech. “But our military and intelligence have made important tactical gains.” Zelenskyy accused the Russian army of wanting to “destroy all life” during its offensive in Donbass. The constant attacks on infrastructure and residential areas showed “that Russia wants to make this area uninhabitable”.
Ukraine’s General Staff said there had been attempts by Russian armed forces in several places to advance inland. However, the attacks would be repelled. In the Dnipro region, Russian units fired on targets with rockets and artillery. The Russian armed forces are therefore reorganizing and partially strengthening their troops. In the contested areas of Luhansk and Donetsk in the east, 14 attacks were repulsed. Ukrainian forces destroyed 11 tanks, 9 drones and 7 artillery systems.
According to reports from the British military, the Russians are forced to regroup troops. The Russian military had to rally and regroup units exhausted from the failed attacks. “Many of these units are probably suffering from low morale.”
“Deficiencies in tactical coordination persist,” the British military tweeted about the situation in northeastern Ukraine. Due to unit weakness and insufficient air support, Russia cannot fully exploit its combat capabilities. Russia hopes to remedy its difficulties with the invasion by geographically concentrating troops, shortening supply routes and simplifying leadership.
Russia said it used artillery to strike 389 targets in Ukraine overnight, including 35 checkpoints, 15 weapons or ammunition depots and several places where Ukrainian troops or equipment would be located. The Russian Defense Ministry said four ammunition and fuel depots were hit by Russian missiles.
The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, says it has recaptured the “strategically important” village of Ruska Losova near Kharkiv. According to the Defense Ministry in Kiev, Ukrainian soldiers have brought more than 600 residents to safety.
Furthermore, Ukraine is apparently putting some stings on its overpowering neighbor. Russian air defenses are said to have prevented a Ukrainian plane from entering the airspace of the Bryansk region. Russian media reported that parts of an oil terminal were hit by shelling. “There are no casualties,” Governor Alexander Bogomas said. A logistics building at the terminal was damaged.
The situation around the Azov steelworks in the port city of Mariupol remains uncertain. According to Russian information, about 2,500 Ukrainian fighters and foreign mercenaries are said to have hidden in the bunkers of the industrial zone. According to Ukraine, 1,000 civilians in particular are waiting for rescue, including children.
Mediated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Kiev and Moscow agreed to create a humanitarian corridor for civilians to flee. However, the results take time to arrive. In any case, Russian state television reported that a family of three had left the steelworks. A man who described himself as his father described the escape. This information cannot be verified.