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Ukrainian forces captured dozens of Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast on Sunday, a military official said, amid reports Kyiv has regained some ground in the embattled region.
Some 60 Russian soldiers were captured near the war-ravaged town of Vovchansk, where fierce battles are ongoing, Nazar Voloshin, a spokesman for Ukraine's Khortytsia operational-strategic group told local publication Liga.net.
Ukraine controls 70 percent of Vovchansk, which had a prewar population of 17,000. Fierce clashes have been ongoing after the Kremlin's forces kick-started an offensive in the Kharkiv region on May 10, seizing a number of villages on Ukraine's northeastern frontier, and forcing thousands of civilians to flee.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that Russian losses during its Kharkiv offensive were eight times higher than Ukraine's. Newsweek could not independently verify the claim and has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry via email for comment.
Julian Röpcke, an open data analyst with the publication Bild,shared footage on X (formerly Twitter) that first circulated on Telegram, which purportedly shows the moment the Russian troops were captured.
"Russian soldiers seems to surrender in N-E #Vovchansk. This is around 600 meters north of what Russian sources claim to be the current front line. So Russia seems to be losing ground there," wrote Röpcke. --->READ MORE HERE
In a tactical failure, Russian forces attempting to cross the canal in Chasiv Yar and advance on the Novi District were swiftly encircled and eliminated by Ukrainian ambushes, losing two BMD infantry fighting vehicles, a Tiger armored car, and a T-90M tank.
On 3 June, there were many updates from the Bakhmut direction.
The most interesting updates came from the southern flank of Chasiv Yar. Here, the Russians intensified their assaults, reinforced their striking groups, and attempted to conduct an offensive operation across the canal in hopes of cutting off Ukrainian forces in the canal district.
The Russian Commander started devising a new plan after Russian forces consolidated control over the large forest to the canal’s east. The forest provided cover from detection by drones and further FPV drone strikes or artillery strikes, so Russians used it to accumulate large forces for two new assault directions. The forest enables a decent staging ground for the new assault direction to the south of the canal district and for the assault towards the Novi district to the west of the canal.
The Russian plan here was to cross the canal since this particular section goes underground, providing Russians with stable soil to cross over it. Afterward, the goal of the Russians was to establish positions in another forest to the west of the canal pipes.
To do this, they would need to establish another food hold. The Russians want to establish a bridgehead here because it will allow them to covertly accumulate even more forces. Such a staging ground would enable direct assaults on the Novi residential area to the north of the forest.
Ukrainian defenses here are not as strong as in the high-rise area. This district consists of only small residential houses, which do not give Ukrainians powerful firing positions. Unlike reinforced high-rise buildings, these houses are also easier to destroy by artillery, which explains why Russians would prioritize assaults on the Novi district over the Canal district.
If Russians managed to take the Novi District in further assaults, they would effectively cut off the main supply road to forces in the canal district, forcing the Ukrainians to withdraw from the area. By uppercutting Novi, Russians would overrun the primary Ukrainian defenses of Chasiv Yar in the canal district, which could risk a withdrawal to the western side of the water barrier.
Despite establishing a staging ground, Russians encountered a series of major problems. The staging ground in the forest is isolated from roads, so Russians can only deploy infantry squads to conduct assaults on foot. On top of that, the infantry has to walk on foot all the way to the forest. Such a process is time-consuming and delays the Russian response period, which is buying more time for Ukrainian defenders. Moreover, the above-ground crossing is open between the two forests on each side, enabling the Ukrainians to destroy any troops crossing the canal.
With full-time drawn observation of the movement of troops and equipment over the canal that isn’t already destroyed, Ukrainians can deploy and prepare troops in the Novi district for a Russian assault heading their way. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
+++++Russia-Ukraine News LATEST UPDATES: (REUTERS) (AP) (NY POST) and (WSJ)+++++
+++++Situation in Kharkiv region: urban warfare is ongoing in Vovchansk+++++
+++++British Defense Ministry: Russian forces suffer heavy losses in Donetsk offensive+++++
++++++HIMARS fall on Belgorod: How is Ukraine destroying the russian rear with Western weapons? ++++
+++++Ukrainian missiles hit ferry crossing in Crimea, oil terminal in Russia’s Krasnodar Territory - General Staff+++++
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