UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Aug 1 — In the Kharkiv direction, Russian troops attacked the positions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces eight times over the past day. The Ukrainian army repelled the assaults near Tykhe and Vovchansk, reported the General Staff.

Russia started its 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.)

The General Staff reported that in the Kupiansk direction, there were eight combat engagements near Stepova Novoselivka, Kolesnykivka, Berestove, Stelmakhivka, and Andriivka.

According to the report, the Russians also hit Slobozhanske, Lyptsi, Vilcha, Horiane, Velykyi Burluk, Vovchansk, and Pidserednie in the Kharkiv region with airstrikes.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), citing geolocation footage on July 28, reported that the Russian troops may have seized the entire aggregate plant in Vovchansk.

According to ISW, the published photos show Ukrainian drone strikes on a large accumulation of ammunition in the eastern part of the Vovchansk aggregate plant. Analysts assume these images indicate that the Russian troops may have wholly seized the plant.

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  •  In the Kharkiv region, near Hlyboke, Russian troops have started using hunting shotguns to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Ukrainian Defense Forces, reported the press service of the “Kharkiv” group of forces.