War map of Ukraine shows how Selenskyj’s troops regain ground near Kharkiv

Ukraine has recaptured its positions north of the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, as Russia continues its advance along the war-torn country’s eastern front lines, according to a new assessment.

Ukrainian fighters “recently recaptured positions in and near Hlyboke,” a settlement near the Russian border northeast of the city of Kharkiv, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a US-based think tank, said on Tuesday.

In early May, Moscow launched a cross-border offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region, quickly capturing a handful of villages across the border, including north of Kharkiv city. Clashes also broke out around the border town of Vovchansk and Starytsia, a settlement southwest of Vovchansk.

Moscow quickly took control of several settlements, and Ukrainian officials warned that the enemy was trying to divide Kyiv’s scarce resources and divert troops and equipment from other parts of the front line. Shortly after the offensive began, Ukraine said it had halted Russia’s advance, but reported increased Moscow advances in the east of the country.

The Ukrainian military did not mention Hlyboke in a situation report released early Wednesday, but said fighting was “heavy in the areas of the settlements of Vovchansk, Starytsia and Lypzi.” Lypzi is located just south of Hlyboke.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had attacked several Ukrainian brigades in the area of ​​Vovchansk, Hlyboke and Lyptsi over the past day.

The Center for Defense Strategies, a Ukrainian think tank, said on Tuesday that Kyiv’s forces had launched a counterattack near Hlyboke, with Russian troops attacking near the settlement. “Heavy fighting” was taking place in the urban areas of Vovchansk, the think tank said.

Deep State, a popular Ukrainian war-watching blog, said last weekend that Ukrainian troops had repelled Russian attacks around Hlyboke.

Further south, the ISW think tank said on Tuesday that Moscow had “slightly advanced” southeast of Chasiv Yar, a strategically important settlement that Russia has long hoped to capture. It lies west of the Russian-controlled town of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. Moscow claimed control of the town in May 2023.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s military said on Wednesday that it had “stopped” 12 Russian attacks in the area around Chasiv Yar and neighboring villages over the past day. Moscow also attacked near the Donetsk city of Toretsk, southwest of Bakhmut and east of the strategically important Donetsk city of Pokrovsk.

Kyiv has repeatedly reported heavy fighting along the front line east of Toretsk and Pokrovsk, which lies west of the town of Avdiivka. Russia took control of Avdiivka in February.

Moscow said on Wednesday that its forces had “improved” their positions around Chasiv Yar, eliminating up to 600 Ukrainian fighters in that section of the front line. Russian troops also attacked Ukrainian forces around Toretsk, Moscow said, adding that they had “repelled” five Ukrainian counterattacks in the area.