UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Jun 27 — Over the last week, Russian forces have renewed their assaults with heavy-armored equipment on the Kupiansk axis, said Karyna Podliesna, the head of the communication department of the 43rd Mechanized Brigade, to Armiia TV.

At the beginning of June, the Ukrainian military reported that Russia was trying to ferry assault groups across the Oskil River using cables, boats, and even tyre tubes in the Kupiansk direction.

Podliesna said that for the last weeks, the Russian army has attacked in small groups of two-three soldiers using motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. They also used MT-LB (multi-purpose armored towing vehicle — ed.), infantry fighting vehicles, and armored personnel carriers when the weather was rainy.

“They covered their equipment with protective sheds (improvised steel roof used as a defence for equipment against drones). Ukrainian forces stopped all Russian vehicles with the help of artillery and drone units,” said Podliesna.

On June 24, Pavlo Shamshyn, the spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group “Kharkiv,” said that Russian forces continue to look for weaknesses in Ukrainian defense. They still have plans to create a buffer zone in the Kharkiv region.

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