UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, May 28 — On May 28, the Operational Tactical Group “Kharkiv” denied information from foreign media that Russia massed 50,000 troops for an offensive on Kharkiv.

On May 25, Sky News and Military Watch Magazine published the information that Russian forces gathered 50,000 personnel across the border to prepare attacks on Kharkiv city.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, during the meeting with journalists, confirmed the Russian attempt to mass force on the Sumy axis, but they couldn’t do it on the scale they wanted because of Ukrainian military operations.

Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, said to LIGA.net that information on the redeployment of 50,000 Russian troops to the Kharkiv region is partially true. He denied that this Russian force could attack Kharkiv itself. 

“The offense on Kharkiv is overstated; Russians haven’t neither powers, nor means. We are talking about the borderlands,” said Kovalenko.

The ISW report from May 27 reported on several Russian advances on the Kharkiv and Kupiansk axes.

Oleksandr Danylenko, the spokesperson of the “Gart” Brigade, operating on the Kharkiv axis, reported that Russian forces are conducting more assaults in and near Vovchansk and near Lyptsi (north of Kharkiv), Tykhe, and Vovchanski Khutory.

On the Kupiansk axis, geolocated footage indicates that Russian forces recently advanced north of Kamianka (8,5 kilometers (5,2 miles) from the Russian border).

Also, Russians tried to cross the border near Stroivka, a village in Kupiansk district, just across the border. ISW assesses that a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group likely crossed the border there, and it is unclear if Russian forces maintain enduring positions in the area. 

The General Staff also confirmed the information about the unsuccessful Russian operation near Stroivka.

At night on May 28, Russia launched attack drones at settlements in Chuhuiv and Kharkiv districts, killing one and injuring seven people, including one child.

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