Blinken was asked about recent Ukrainian complaints that a Washington ban meant Ukraine could not strike Russian forces as they built up before crossing the border into Kharkiv Oblast.
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.
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.
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."
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.
KHARKIV – The first signs that something ominous is happening in Kharkiv come as soon as the train from Kyiv reaches the suburbs of the city – as two pillars of smoke appear in the distance, every single phone in the carriage erupts with a piercing electronic squawking. "I guess we've arrived,
Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov's statement came after he reportedly told the New York Times a day before that the situation in the region "was on the edge" and "moved toward critical every hour."
Key developments on May 13: * Governor: 5,900 people evacuated from Kharkiv Oblast amid Russian offensive * General Staff: Russian forces 'partially succeed' near Lukiantsi in Kharkiv Oblast * Construction of fortifications around Vovchansk was 'difficult,' official says * Military: Ukraine downs Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter * SBU drones attack oil depot, substation
At least 5,900 people have been evacuated from Kharkiv Oblast since Russian forces launched a new offensive in the region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said during a press briefing in Kharkiv on May 13.
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
VOVCHANSK, KHARKIV OBLAST – The glide bombs arrive in groups of three. Their flight can be heard from far away, but only in the last second before impact is it clear where it will hit. The explosions, orders of magnitude more powerful than regular artillery shells, shake the ground where the
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.
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