Russia-Ukraine war live: Kyiv faces ‘tough battles ahead’ in Kharkiv as Putin’s forces expand frontline
Ukraine’s army chief has claimed they will face “tough battles ahead” in the northeastern region of Kharkiv after Russian forces expanded the frontline.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief, wrote in an update on the Telegram messenger service that Russian forces had “expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometres (43 miles)” having launched a surprise attack in Kharkiv.
The multi-pronged assault, which started a week ago today, is the first time Russian forces have attacked the region proper since they were forced out by advancing Ukrainian troops in September 2022.
Tens of thousands of Russians troops have taken part in this latest attack, capturing swathes of towns within a few miles of the Russian border in the process and nearing artillery range of the region’s capital, home to some 1.3 million civilians.
Though General Syrski said reinforcements had been sent to stabilise the situation, he added that fighting will remain intense.
“Under such circumstances, we must prevent the further advance of the enemy troops by steadily maintaining the occupied lines and positions [and] inflicting maximum losses on him,” he wrote.
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