Ukraine send reinforcements to border areas of the Kharkiv

Ukraine defence ministry said on Friday that it has sent military reinforcements to help repel Russian attacks in border areas of the Kharkiv region in the northeast.

It added that Russian troops tried to break through with armoured vehicles in the early morning but were beaten back, Reuters reported.

Although Russia’s offensive is focused on the Donetsk region, Kyiv has noted a recent build up of troops near the Kharkiv region.

Russian forces tried to break through the border into Ukraine with sabotage groups as they stepped up shelling of Vovchansk town in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, Kharkiv’s governor said on Friday.

Oleh Syniehubov said on the Telegram messaging app that the attempts were repelled and Ukrainian forces were “confidently holding onto their positions and did not lose a single metre”, Reuters reported.

He said Russia did not have the resources to advance on the city of Kharkiv and its border actions were a “provocation”.

Ukrainian civilians from the Kharkiv region town of Vovchansk and surrounding areas on Friday are being evacuated because of intensified Russian shelling, a local official said.

Photo courtesy MOD Ukraine