UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Apr 16 — The Russian army is possibly going to retake Vovchansk city by May 9, said Denys Yaroslavskyi, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces intelligence unit, in the ether of Novyny.LIVE.

“We understand that Russians will try to retake Vovchansk—or rather the ruins that remain of the city. We have their operational plans, so we are ready for a counterattack,” said Yaroslavskyi.

Moscow is seeking to achieve “symbolic victories” by May 9, the day the “Victory Day Parade” will take place.

There is also fighting on the Kupiansk axis in Kharkiv Oblast, near the Dvorichna village.

“Difficult battles are ongoing, and Russians are trying to conduct assaults. Our groups are holding defense, and unmanned aerial vehicles are always working. Our pilots control the entire zone and try to repel all attacks,” said Yaroslavskyi.

Last year, on May 10, Russia started a second offensive on the Kharkiv axis, moving forward rapidly by several kilometers. Though the Ukrainian army stopped their advance, the Russian success caused outrage among Ukrainian society, political and military leaders for bad defense planning and inefficient fortifications. Yaroslavskyi, former Ukrainian MP, was one of the people vocal about Russians just “walking in” over the northern border to launch the assault that spring because “there was no first line of defense.”  

In January 2025, a Kyiv court arrested officers General Yurii Halushkin, General Artur Horbenko, and Colonel Illia Lapin under charges of negligence in military service during the 2024 defence of Kharkiv Oblast and for the latter two, unauthorized withdrawal from the frontline.

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