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full screen Firefighters at a house hit by Russian shelling in Kharkiv earlier in May. Photo: Andrii Marienko/AP/TT
Russia has launched a major ground offensive against the Kharkiv region, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense says.
Kiev is reported to have sent reinforcements to the region, located in the northeast near the Russian border.
Civilians are being evacuated from the area around the city of Vovtyansk due to the intensified Russian attacks, local authorities say. According to the Reuters news agency, Russia plans to advance up to one mile into the Kharkiv region with the goal of establishing a buffer zone.
Earlier on Friday, Governor Oleh Synehubov said Russian forces were trying to break through the border with “sabotage groups” in armored vehicles, but that Ukraine was resisting.
During the night of Friday, explosions were heard in the city of Kharkiv, when Russia, according to local authorities, attacked with drones and robots. Two people were said to have been injured and residential buildings to have been set on fire.