UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, June 27 —  At night, Ukrainian border guards detected and repelled a Russian sabotage group on the border of the Kharkiv region near the village of Sotnytskyi Kozachok, Zolochiv community, the spokesman for the State Border Guard Service, Andrii Demchenko, said on Ukrainian TV.

Russia started their new offensive north and northeast in the Kharkiv region in May, but Ukrainian troops have stabilized the frontline in this section since. Now, heavy battles are ongoing in and around Vovchansk (three miles from the border, 46 miles away from Kharkiv) and near Lyptsi (six miles from the border, 12 miles from Kharkiv.)

According to Demchenko, there was a small firearms battle between the Russian subversive group and the border guards. The Russians were also attacking from other weapons, firing at the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 

“There was no such activity [of subversive groups] in the Kharkiv region for some time, but yesterday, we saw that the enemy can conduct sabotage actions in any direction,” said Demchenko.

Oleh Syniehubov, Kharkiv Oblast Governor, said during a briefing on May 30 that the Russian army is considering the Zolochiv direction as one of the most suitable for an attempt to stretch the Ukrainian military in the north of the Kharkiv region.

Demchenko added that in the Kharkiv direction, Russians are trying to gain a foothold near Lyptsi and Vovchansk by building fortifications. Defense forces are striking at the Russian defenses and equipment.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Ukrainian defense forces have partially taken back positions in Vovchansk and the village of Starytsia.

ISW reported that Ukrainian forces have counterattacked and recently taken back some tactical positions northeast of Kharkiv. In Starytsia, the Armed Forces are holding their positions in the center of the village.

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