Defense Forces have stabilized situation in Vovchansk, military spokesman says
The situation in Kharkiv Oblast remains complex and volatile, but Defense Forces managed to stabilize the situation, in particular in Vovchansk, said the spokesman of the Khortytsia operational and strategic troop grouping, Nazar Voloshyn, on the national telethon.
The enemy does not stop trying to break through the defense of Ukrainian units near Lyptsi, Vovchansk, and Starytsia.
The Russian army combines ground assaults with airstrikes: the aggressor uses aviation to launch rocket-bomb attacks on Kharkiv and other populated areas of the region.
The spokesman for Khortytsia emphasized that the Russians had carried out 83 attacks on the Kharkiv axis over the past day, and as of the morning of May 21, five combat clashes had already taken place. At the same time, he emphasized that compared to the previous day, the number of clashes with the enemy has almost halved.
"The enemy, of course, does not stop trying to concentrate its efforts in the direction of Strilecha, Lyptsi and on the capture of the town of Vovchansk proper, with further access to White Kolodyaz and launching an offensive right behind our troops," he noted.
Near the borders, the invasion forces created and significantly strengthened the operational-tactical troop grouping, but the Defense Forces are holding on, trying to dislodge the Russian troops in the direction of the settlement of Hlyboke and near Vovchansk, where the enemy intended to gain a foothold in residential areas.
On May 16, the Russians shelled one of the villages of the Vovchansk territorial community. As a result of the attack, six people were injured, including the head of Vovchansk Town Military Administration.
As of May 20, more than 10,500 people were evacuated from the border of Kharkiv Oblast.
On May 20, the deputy head of the Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration, Roman Semenukha, said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine control approximately 60% of Vovchansk, while the enemy does not stop storming the settlement.