UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Aug. 21 — On Aug. 20, the spokesperson of a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Kupiansk direction reported that Russian forces have intensified their strikes in the area, said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Russians use artillery, mortar, drone, and glide bomb strikes to attack Ukrainian logistics positions in the rear, the ISW added.

In the Kupiansk direction, Russian forces are mostly concentrated around the city of Kupiansk in eastern Kharkiv oblast. This city is an important logistics hub connecting Kharkiv, Donetsk oblast, and, before Russian occupation, Luhansk oblast. 

Analytics reported on Russian attacks north of Kupiansk, but they haven’t observed any evidence that Russian forces have advanced.

Earlier, Viktor Trehubov, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian forces responsible for the Kharkiv region, said that Ukrainian forces recorded Russian small assault groups in the northern parts of Kupiansk.

Also, Russians attacked near Borova settlement in the Izium district, 30 kilometers (~19 miles) from Kupiansk. The ISW didn’t confirm any Russian advances there.

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