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Zelensky: Ukrainian forces take back control near state border in Kharkiv Oblast

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Zelensky: Ukrainian forces take back control near state border in Kharkiv Oblast
President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to the frontline positions in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast on March 27, 2023. (President's Office) 

Ukraine managed to take back control in the Russia-Ukraine border area of Kharkiv Oblast, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on May 24.

Zelensky visited Kharkiv on the same day, where one of Ukraine's largest printing houses was destroyed a day earlier in a Russian missile attack that killed seven people.

During the visit, Zelensky met with the Ukrainian military and listened to reports from local authorities and representatives of special services.

Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces had taken back control in the area where Russian troops "had entered earlier."

The president thanked every unit that took part in combat missions in the region.

Zelensky added he discussed further tasks on the front line, considering information from Ukraine's military intelligence.

Russia launched a new offensive on May 10 in northern Kharkiv Oblast, focusing its efforts in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, settlements a few kilometers south of the Russia-Ukraine border.

Moscow's forces advanced as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) into the region but were halted by the first line of defense.

Russian troops have begun deploying their reserves from different sectors of the front line but fail to support active assault operations in the region, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said on May 23.

Russia’s latest offensive into Kharkiv Oblast is stretching Ukrainian defenses
Russia’s two-pronged assault in Kharkiv Oblast that began on May 10 is exploiting Ukraine’s troop shortage, forcing it to make difficult decisions about where to commit reserves. Two weeks into the offensive, one group of Russian forces is already fighting in the streets of the town of Vovchansk
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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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