UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Sep. 22 — On Sep. 21, Ukrainian forces launched an airstrike on Russian positions in southern part of Vovchansk, indicating that Russian forces recently advanced in this area, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its assessment.

Vovchansk is a city north of Kharkiv, which is one of the main targets of a Russian offensive in May 2024. Russian attacks back then destroyed the city. Currently, Ukrainian OSINTers mark the city as occupied by Russians.

The ISW analysts said that Russian officials claimed their advances northeast of Kharkiv oblast and seized the villages of Pilna and Novooleksandrivka. Analysts have also observed evidence indicating that Russian forces are operating as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Pilna and 25 kilometers (16 miles) from Novooleksandrivka.

Assessed control of terrain in northern Kharkiv oblast on Sep. 21 / Photo: ISW

According to ISW, Russian forces recently infiltrated the area  north of Velykyi Burluk, a settlement in eastern Kharkiv oblast.

Earlier, the analysts reported that Ukrainian forces counterattacked east of the village of Zapadne in the Kupiansk district.

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