UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Apr. 30 — Russians are attempting to cross the Vovcha river north of Kahrkiv oblast in groups of two or three and approach Ukrainian positions. Sometimes they swim across on their own or use boats, said Ruslana Bohdan, the press officer of the 57th Motorized Brigade, to Army TV.

Vovcha is a river that flows through the northern part of Kharkiv oblast, including Vovchansk, a city which was one of the main targets of a Russian offensive in May 2024. Russian attacks back then destroyed the city.

Bohdan said that every day, Russians try to assault with small groups in the Vovchansk direction.

“They throw ropes and just try to cross (the river—ed.). This water barrier is a death trap for the Russians,” she said.

The 57th brigade is attacking Russian groups as they cross the Vovcha river — a press officer said that the Russians often cross in places with many bodies already swimming (in the water), and instead of picking up their killed soldiers, they keep moving forward, “swimming past the bodies of their soldiers.”

Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War said that Ukrainian forces advanced north of the Kharkiv oblast, citing geolocated footage that shows Russian forces striking a Ukrainian position in the southern outskirts of Vovchansk.

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