Russian forces firmly control offensive line near Kharkiv, Russian-installed officials say

(Reuters) – Russian forces have strengthened their positions in the Strilecha-Lyptsi region of Ukraine's Kharkiv region, keeping fire from the Ukrainian defense line under control, a Moscow-installed official in Kharkiv said on Friday.

“Control of strategic hills near the Lyptsi settlement allows our troops to keep the defense line immediately adjacent to the city of Kharkiv under fire and to control all supply routes,” Vitali Ganchev said , a Russian official based in Kharkiv, at the Russian RIA. state news agency.

This includes the Strilecha-Lyptsi region, located between two small villages, and the surrounding area of ​​the border town of Vovchansk, where street fighting took place.

On Thursday, Ukraine's top commander said Russia was building up its forces near the northern part of Ukraine's Kharkiv region, but still lacked the manpower needed to mount a major offensive in the region.

Russia opened a new front in the war in Ukraine by quickly crossing the border into Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region in early May with small groups of highly mobile units, a move that forced Ukraine to send troops from other regions.

Ganchev told RIA that Russian forces captured around 13 settlements in Kharkiv in May and around 300 square kilometers of territory.

Reuters could not independently verify Ganchev's claims.

Ukraine's General Staff said Thursday its forces continued to strengthen their defensive lines in the region and had repelled a Russian attack near the village of Starytsia on the Kharkiv front.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; editing by Christian Schmollinger)