UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Jul 8 — Ukrainian forces counterattacked and advanced northwest of Hlyboke. However, there is no information on who controls the village, reported the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on July 7.

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.)

“Geolocated footage published on July 6 shows that Ukrainian forces recently advanced northwest of Hlyboke while counterattacking in the area, and available satellite imagery collected between July 3 and 6 suggests that Ukrainian forces conducted a counterattack in the area between July 3 and 6,” the ISW reported.

Map of the Kharkiv direction on July 7 / Map: Institute for the Study of War

ISW also reported that the Ukrainian army is conducting raids near Lyptsi and Tykhe to identify vulnerabilities in Russian defense lines. At the same time, the Russians are also trying to attack near Lyptsi and Hlyboke and northeast of Kharkiv near Vovchansk and Starytsia.

In addition, the ISW reported a possible Russian advance along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna line, but there were no confirmed changes in the frontline in this area.

The General Staff reported that on July 7, Russian troops attacked Ukrainian positions in the Kharkiv direction five times near Lyptsi, Starytsia, Hlyboke, and Vovchansk.

The commander of the operational battalion of the 13th National Guard Brigade “Khartia” said in an interview with Gwara Media that the Ukrainian military had stopped the Russian army’s movement towards Kharkiv, so the 13th Brigade of the National Guard “Khartia” and other combat units are creating conditions to push the Russians back.

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  • In the Lyptsi direction, like in almost all areas of the front, Russian troops create small infantry groups of four to six people and advance mostly in bad weather. The military notes that the Russians learned this from the Ukrainian army.