Ukraine stabilizes battlefield situation in Vovchansk area

That’s according to Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia Grouping, who spoke on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"The situation in Kharkiv region remains difficult and is changing dynamically, but our Defense Forces and all units involved managed to stabilize it, in particular in the town of Vovchansk. The enemy, of course, does not stop trying to break through our defenses near Lyptsi, Vovchansk, and Starytsia. The invaders combine ground assaults with airstrikes, deploying aviation," Voloshyn said.

He noted that the enemy carried out 83 attacks in this area in the past week, and as of this morning, five combat clashes had already taken place. At the same time, the number of engagements with the enemy has almost halved compared to the previous day, the spokesman said.

The enemy does not stop trying to concentrate efforts toward Streleche-Lyptsi and on the capture of the town of Vovchansk with further access to Bilyi Kolodiaz. The Russians plan to advance deep into the Ukrainian defense lines.

"Near the borders, the enemy created and significantly strengthened the operational-tactical grouping of troops “North”, which includes combat units from the 6th Army, the 11th and 44th Army Corps. However, our Defense Forces are holding on, trying to dislodge the enemy troops toward Hlyboke, and in the Vovchansk area, where the enemy intends to gain a foothold precisely in residential buildings, our defenders are doing everything possible not to allow them to do so," the spokesman said.

Answering the question whether the enemy's transfer of forces from the Kupiansk-Lyman axis toward the border areas was recorded, Voloshyn said that the Russians concentrated their efforts both on the Kharkiv, as well as on the Kupiansk, Kurakhive, Kramatorsk, and Pokrovsk axes. In some areas, a slight advance by the enemy has been recorded, but the Ukrainian defenders are holding their ground.

"Over the past 24 hours, 112 combat clashes have taken place along the entire front line, and in the area of our responsibility, 103 such clashes have been recorded. Such figures indicate that the enemy has not stopped trying to capture the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and as of this morning, 27 combat clashes have already taken place there," Voloshyn said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Russia’s total combat losses in Ukraine as of May 21 have reached an estimated 495,070, including 1,210 in the past day alone.