UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Dec 19 – On December 18, there was one combat clash in the Kharkiv direction in the area of Vovchansk. Russian troops launched three airstrikes using 23 glide bombs and 27 kamikaze drone strikes. In total, the Russians fired 278 times at Ukrainian positions, reported the “Kharkiv” group of forces. 

Russia started its offensive north and northeast in the Kharkiv region on May 10, 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.)

Yevhen Romanov, spokesman for the “Kharkiv” group of forces, told Gwara Media that Russian troops always try to advance towards Vovchansk and Hlyboke but suffer losses. On December 14, Ukrainian forces took eight Russian soldiers prisoner.

Romanov noted that Ukrainian soldiers capture Russian troops in various ways: some during combat, others who surrender willingly, some who get lost, and others found hiding in the basements of abandoned buildings.

“They [the Russians] can’t go back [to the rest of Russian troops — ed.]. They want to live, so they stay in the gray zone, climb through basements, and eat the food left by people. And they stay there until they decide whether to surrender or be found,” the spokesman said.

Over the past day, Russians lost 54 people in the Kharkiv direction. Also, in the Kharkiv direction, the Russian army lost 42 units of weapons and military equipment, as well as 59 shelters for personnel.

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