Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv "as of today" and is attacking Kharkiv Oblast in order to create a so-called buffer zone in the oblast to prevent shelling in Belgorod, President Vladimir Putin claimed on May 17.
Syrski's comments came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized.
Russian troops were able to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) deep in some areas during their offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, but the front in the region has been stabilized, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on May 16.
Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the police of the Kharkiv Oblast, said on air on Suspilne that up to 40 civilians, most of them elderly, had been taken captive when trying to escape Russian shelling.
At around 1 a.m. on May 17, a lengthy air raid alert was finally lifted in Kharkiv Oblast after officials reported numerous Russian drone strikes and a ballistic missile threat.
Key updates on May 16: * Zelensky in Kharkiv: Situation 'difficult' but 'under control,' Russia suffers losses * Denmark announces more than $815 million in new military assistance for Ukraine * Minister: Russia captures, shoots civilians in northern Vovchansk * Source: Ukrainian drones attack Russian defense manufacturer's facilities in Tula * Partisans: Ammunition depot
Echoing comments from President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said earlier in the day that the situation in Kharkiv Oblast was "difficult" but "under control," General Christopher Cavoli expressed confidence that Ukraine would be able to withstand the assault.
One critical factor in Russia's recent battlefield successes in Ukraine is its extensive use of glide bombs. Every week, hundreds of these large, deadly weapons rain down on Ukraine, creating 20-meter-wide craters and obliterating military positions and entire settlements. Russia has heavily relied on glide bombs in its new offensive
Russian forces attacked a village near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast with cluster munitions on May 16, injuring six people, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
A Russian attack on Kharkiv Oblast killed two women on May 16, the Kharkiv Oblast Office of the Prosecutor General reported on Telegram.
When asked if the U.S. is to blame for what is happening in Kharkiv Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "It is the world's fault."
Tamaz Gambarashvili, the head of Vovchansk City Military Administration, two medics and two drivers are among the injured, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on May 16.
Russian forces are taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation in the embattled northern part of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 16.
"As of today, the situation in Kharkiv Oblast is generally under control, our soldiers are inflicting significant losses" on Russian troops, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"The enemy's plans to advance deeper into the city of Vovchansk and gain a foothold there were thwarted," Ukraine's General Staff said on May 16.
Russia targeted a total of 10 Ukrainian oblasts — Sumy, Luhansk, Poltava, Dnipropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson. Casualties were reported in the latter five regions.
Key developments on May 15: * Zelensky: Ukraine stabilizes situation in Kharkiv Oblast amid Russian offensive * General Staff: Russian forces 'partially pushed out' from Vovchansk * Ukraine deploys more forces to Kharkiv Oblast * Blinken: US to give Ukraine additional $2 billion in military financing * Source: Ukraine's military intelligence drones strike oil depot
Governor Oleh Syniehubov said a five-story residential building in the Shevchenkyvskyi district was hit. At least two people were injured.
Ukrainian forces have managed to stabilize the situation in Kharkiv Oblast over the past day amid Russia's attempts to break through, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 15 in his evening address.
Ukrainian forces repelled Russian attacks in the Vovchansk direction in Kharkiv Oblast and "partially pushed out enemy forces from the town," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on May 15.
A Russian aerial bomb strike injured two nurses and a doctor in Mala Danylivka, a village on the outskirts of Kharkiv, the community's head, Oleksandr Hololobov, told Suspilne Kharkiv on May 15.
Small Russian infantry units have entered Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast and are trying to gain a foothold in the northern part of town, Defense Ministry spokesperson Dmytro Lazutkin said on air on May 15.
More Ukrainian forces are being deployed to Kharkiv Oblast amid Russia's offensive in the region, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on May 15, following a meeting with top military commanders.
President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to postpone all of his international events planned for the coming days, the Presidential Office said on May 15.
Speaking on national TV, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said around 6,000 people from the surrounding oblast who lived closer to the front lines had been taken to the city and housed in dormitories.
Heavy battles are ongoing in Kharkiv Oblast, but the situation has somewhat stabilized, Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces, said on air on May 15.
Active battles are taking place in Vovchansk as Russian troops "take up positions on the streets of the city," Vovchansk Police Chief Oleksii Kharkivskyi said on social media on the morning of May 15.
"But all accounts are that they (Ukraine) continue to take measures to defend their territory," Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said, adding that the U.S. is going to do "everything we can to get them the critical munitions and supplies that they need."
Ukrainian lawmakers are trying to convince Washington to allow Kyiv to strike at Russian territory with U.S.-supplied weapons, saying the ban prevented them from attacking Russian troops amassing near Kharkiv Oblast, Politico reported on May 14.
Almost 8,000 civilians have been evacuated amid Russia's offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast, which has killed at least one civilian and injured 24 others over the past day, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 15.
Key developments on May 14: * Security Council secretary: Over 30,000 Russian troops involved in attack on Kharkiv Oblast * General Staff: Ukrainian soldiers 'change positions' near Lukiantsi village in Kharkiv Oblast * US State Department does not anticipate Russian breakthrough toward Kharkiv * Budanov expects Russia to launch new attack on Sumy
Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with the UMPB D-30 type of bombs, according to the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office.
