Update Border Font Lines

Reports have come in that thousands of civilians are fleeing the border as Russian Forces are sending barrages of artillery & motor attacks targeting towns & villages.

With the intense assault, one Ukrainian unit had to withdraw in Kharkiv region. Russian Forces can now cross villages that are less defended in the gray zone which are along the Russian border.

Today in the afternoon in Ukraine the town of Vovchansk with the largest northeast prewar population of 17,000 has been targeted by Russian Forces.

Infantry fighting is already taking place, reported by Volodymyr Tymoshko who is head of Kharkiv regional police.

Russian Forces have deployed a tank traveling along a major road leading to the town, Tymoshko. Moscow’s confidence in deploying heavy weaponry.

An Associated Press team, stationed in a neighboring village, observed plumes of smoke ascending from the town amid the shelling by Russian forces. Throughout the day, evacuation crews tirelessly relocated residents, predominantly the elderly, to safety.

According to Gov. Oleh Syniehubov, over 4,000 civilians have evacuated the Kharkiv region since Friday due to the commencement of Moscow’s military operations. Intense combat ensued on Sunday along the northeastern front, with Russian forces assaulting 27 settlements within the last 24 hours.

Analysts suggest that Russia’s strategy aims to capitalize on ammunition shortages before the arrival of anticipated Western supplies at the front lines.

Ukrainian soldiers have said the Russian troops are using a tactic that tries to exhaust Ukrainian troops & firepower, The intensifying battles along the front lines mean Russian forces threaten to pin Ukrainian troops northeast.

This means Russian forces can also carry out intense battles further south where they are gaining ground.

Russian attacks have been getting worse in March when they targeted energy plants and towns, analysts predict that was an effort to make better conditions for an offensive attack.

A 10-story apartment building had partly collapsed in the Russian city of Belgorod, which is near the border. The building collapse killed 8 people, injuring 20 others, Russian authorities have said the collapse is from Ukrainian artillery shelling but Ukraine has not commented on this.

“Disrupting the Russian offensive intentions is our №1 task now. Whether we succeed in that task depends on every soldier, every sergeant, every officer,” Zelenskyy said.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that its troops had taken control of four villages along the border in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. This follows the capture of five other villages on Saturday. The ease of the Russian advance was likely due to the areas being poorly fortified amid dynamic combat and continuous intense shelling.

It has not been confirmed by Ukraine leadership that Moscow has gained those areas, Tymposhko has said that Stilencha, Pylna, and Borsivika are under Russian occupation. Russian troops are moving infantry through those areas to attack villages, Hlyboke and Lukiansti.

“Now the Russians are simply wiping it (Vovchansk) off the face of the earth and advancing with the scorched earth method. That is, they first scorch a specific area and then the infantry comes in, and they always advance in this way,” he said.

Russian Forces have captured one more village late Saturday, this is reported from a Ukrainian unit that was forced to retreat.

A video Saturday evening, the Hostri Kartuzy unit, part of the special forces’ detachment of Ukraine’s national guard, said that they were fighting for control of the village of Hlyboke.

“Today, during heavy fighting, our defenders were forced to withdraw from a few more of their positions, and today, another settlement has come completely under Russian control. As of 20:00, fighting for the village of Hlyboke is ongoing,” the fighters said in a clip.

The Institute for the Study of War confirmed on Saturday that Moscow’s claims of capturing Strilecha, Pylna, Pletenivka, and Borsivika are likely accurate. Additionally, geolocated footage suggests that Russian forces have also taken control of Morokhovets and Oliinykove. The think tank, based in Washington, has characterized these recent advancements by Russian forces as tactically significant.

During the initial phase of the war, Russia unsuccessfully attempted to rapidly seize Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, but withdrew from its periphery after roughly a month. Subsequently, in the autumn of 2022, Ukraine’s forces expelled them from Kharkiv. This decisive counteroffensive convinced Western nations of Ukraine’s potential to overcome Russia in combat, warranting military aid.