The eastern Ukrainian city Kharkiv continues to aim more violently Russian attacks. Within a day, Russian troops would have the second largest city in the country 48 times with rocket launchers, artillery and mortars fired on, writes the governor of the region of the same name, Oleh Synyehubov, in the Telegram news channel. In the town of Balaklija, three people were killed and several buildings destroyed by Russian shelling. The city of Losowa was also the target of attacks. Synyehubov writes that 15,000 civilians were recently evacuated from there and from Balakliya.
The Russian armed forces had announced their attacks on eastern Ukraine and there on the “liberation” of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, claimed by the Moscow-loyal separatists. Presidential adviser Olexey Arestovych says the fiercest fighting is in the south-west of the Luhansk region around the cities of Rubishne, Popasna and Sievarodonetsk.
The enemy is also trying to advance from Izyum towards Sloviansk and Kramatorsk and from Wuhledar to Marjinka in the Donetsk region. “This is an attempt to encircle our soldiers but I believe this attempt will be in vain. The terrain is too unfavorable for the enemy,” said Arestovych.