Key developments on May 11,12: * Putin proposes firing Shoigu, appointing new defense minister * Zelensky says Russian troops try to "gain a foothold" in Kharkiv Oblast; heavy fighting ongoing * Russia's breakthrough attempt halted, situation in several sectors' changing rapidly,' Syrskyi says * Russia attacks 106 infrastructure facilities in Ukraine in
His statement comes as Russia launched a new offensive operation targeting Kharkiv Oblast on May 10.
The Kyiv Independent joined local police on their mission to evacuate civilians from Vovchansk on May 11 — the operation that was constantly interrupted by Russian launches of aerial gliding bombs.
Around 500 people remain in the city of Vovchansk, close to the Russian border. Earlier in the day, two casualties were reported in Vovchansk and the nearby village Liptsy.
Cameron stressed that Kyiv’s allies must do everything they can to “help the Ukrainians.” He pointed to the U.K.’s recent £3 billion ($3.74 billion) yearly package to Ukraine, adding that Westminster is “encouraging others to do the same.”
More than 300 civilians have been evacuated from the border communities of Kharkiv Oblast amid renewed Russian attacks on the area, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 11.
Battles are ongoing around the settlements of Strilecha, Krasne, Morokhovets, Oliinykove, Lukiantsi, Hatyshche, and Pletenivka, Zelensky said.
Speaking to journalists, Oleh Syniehubov said the situation was "fully controlled." Syniehubov claimed fighting was ongoing in four of the five villages claimed by Moscow – Strilecha, Pylna, Borysivka, and Ohirtseve.
In a briefing, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russian troops were now in control of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pylna, and Strilecha, all within two kilometers of the border. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the Russian Defense Ministry's claims.
A military spokesperson said fighting was continuing in the Lyptsi and Vovchansk directions and Ukrainian forces were hunting down Russian troops he said were hidden in forested areas.
There are ongoing battles for "gray zone" border settlements of Strilecha, Pylne, and Borysivka, as well as in the sectors of Oliinykove and Ohirtseve, the General Staff said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on May 10 that Russian forces had begun a new offensive operation targeting Kharkiv Oblast. "Now, there is a fierce battle going on in (Kharkiv's) direction," Zelensky said.
Rather than conducting a major offensive campaign north of Kharkiv Oblast, "Russia is trying to pull our (Ukrainian) forces and resources from Donetsk Oblast to Kharkiv Oblast," military spokesperson Nazar Voloshyn told Hromadske.
Russia's recently launched operations in Kharkiv Oblast look like a simulation of a large-scale attack with the use of limited resources or reconnaissance-in-force, a senior Ukrainian official said on May 10.
In turn, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on national television on national television that no territory was lost at the moment. He clarified that settlements in the border areas are a "grey zone" and that active hostilities are ongoing there.
Speaking at a joint news conference in Kyiv with the European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, Zelensky said he was putting "maximum pressure" on partners to increase supplies.
Vadym Filashkin said it was becoming increasingly difficult for rescue and humanitarian workers to reach those that remain due to Russian shelling, with attempts only being made at night or early in the morning.
The authorities are "closely monitoring" the northern direction, as Russian troops have resumed active assault operations east of Kharkiv after military units' rotation, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Drone footage shows what used to be home to 12,000 people has been reduced to a mass of rubble and burned out buildings as Russia continues its attempt to take the town.
Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, also said Russian forces are unlikely to capture the embattled town of Chasiv Yar as they do not have enough strength for a full-scale offensive.
"Not today or tomorrow, of course, but all depending on our reserves and supplies," a military intelligence deputy head, Major General Vadym Skibitsky, said in an interview with The Economist published on May 2.
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. CHASIV YAR, DONETSK OBLAST – As he creeps between rubble-strewn garages near the central square of Chasiv Yar, the eyes and ears of the reconnaissance
Russia is trying to break through the front line in the east of Ukraine in three directions, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, said on May 2.
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a day of meetings on the situation on the front lines on April 30, calling for Western allies to speed up deliveries of critically needed military aid.
As the U.S. took months to approve the next package of much-needed military aid to Kyiv, Russia used the moment to step up its offensive operations in Ukraine. After capturing Avdiivka and multiple villages in the east, Moscow now has its eyes on the next primary target, the town
Russian forces would need years to occupy the city of Kharkiv, Oleksandr Pivnenko, a commander of Ukraine’s National Guard, said in an interview with the Liga.net media outlet on April 23.
Despite indications that Russia is planning a renewed summer offensive, Ukraine will likely be able to curtail the effects of the renewed offensive if anticipated U.S. military aid arrives promptly, the U.S.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed on April 21.
Russian forces have maintained and, in some areas, intensified ongoing offensive operations, likely to exploit persisting Ukrainian materiel shortages before the arrival of promised Western security assistance, the Institute for the Study of War said in its April 20 report.
Key developments on April 13-14: * Syrskyi: Russia set a goal to capture Chasiv Yar by 'Victory Day' on May 9 * Syrskyi: 'Situation on eastern front has significantly deteriorated in recent days' * Germany to send additional Patriot air defense system, missiles to Ukraine * Russia claims 10 Ukrainian drones downed in Krasnodar
Ukraine is working to stabilize the situation and "strengthen the most problematic defense areas with electronic warfare and air defense," said Oleksandr Syrskyi, the Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces.
Russian forces continue to ramp up their offensive operations along the front line despite the material and personnel losses, the Institute for the Study of War's (ISW) report said on April 7.
Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said that Ukraine should expect to face a renewed Russian offensive in late spring or early summer, with the offensive intensifying around Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, Budanov told German outlet ARD in an interview published on April 7.
