Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday he had traveled to Vovchansk, a frontline area northeast of Kharkiv, near the Russian border, where Moscow's forces are trying to break through.
Russian forces opened a new front in the north of the region in May, and quickly made a breakthrough of 10 km. The Ukrainian military then halted the offensive, one of Russia's main attacks heading towards the town of Vovchansk.
“Kharkiv Front. Forward command post of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the Vovchansk region,” Zelensky wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He was seen awarding a number of soldiers and shaking their hands in a video posted along with the statement.
Ukraine's General Staff said Russia was continuing its air strikes on border areas in the region and in the past 24 hours Ukrainian forces had repelled six attacks near Vovchansk and the village of Hlyboke, more than 30 km (19 miles) to the west.
While Russian attacks in the eastern Donetsk region remain Moscow's main striking force, attacks on the Kharkiv region have overwhelmed Ukrainian forces and forced Kyiv to send in reinforcements.
Ukraine then successfully lobbied its allies to allow it to use Western weapons for a series of cross-border raids from the Kharkiv region. Kyiv says this has helped it fend off Russian forces, now more than 29 months into their full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv is now pressing its allies to lift restrictions that prevent them from using Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia at targets such as military airfields.
During his trip to the Kharkiv region, Zelenskyy also visited the town of Derhachi, about 15 km (9 miles) from the regional capital Kharkiv, his statement said. Both settlements are frequently targeted by Russian-controlled missile and bomb attacks. (ps/ab)
