UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Sep. 3 — Ukraine denied reports that Russian forces occupied the settlement of Kozacha Lopan in northern Kharkiv oblast, Vitalii Sarantsev, a spokesperson of the 14th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, told Gwara Media.

On Sep. 1, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, claimed that Russian forces captured 14 Ukrainian settlements, including Kozacha Lopan and Svyatohirsk. In June, Russian troops began attempts to advance towards Kozacha Lopan. They started their assault from the Hraniv border village, about four kilometers (two miles) from the settlement.

According to Sarantsev, Russian forces are now trying to advance into Kozacha Lopan through nearby forests and fields. Part of the settlement remains under Ukrainian control, he said.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Russian forces had advanced and infiltrated only 1.31 square kilometers (0.51 square miles) of Kozacha Lopan and were present in only 13% of the settlement.

Sarantsev said that the Russians are advancing in small groups in this area, but in his opinion, such tactics are not enough to sustain an advance toward Kharkiv. He added that the Russians are not using armored vehicles, but are using artillery and drones launched from Russian territory to attack Ukrainian positions here.

Sarantsev added that the main goal of the Russian advance near Kozacha Lopan is to create a “buffer zone” along the state border approximately 15–20 kilometers (9-12 miles) wide and to divert Ukrainian forces and resources from the main axis of the Russian offensive in the Donetsk oblast.

Read more

  • Unidentified man attacks Russian major general allegedly tied to missile strike on Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv 

 ⛈️ Winter is coming, and, for Ukraine, it is predicted to be awful. Please support our Kharkiv-based newsroom with a $5 coffee to help us withstand whatever Russia has prepared for us.