Russia has opened up a new front in the war with Ukraine as it laid siege to the region of Kharkiv on Friday. Ukraine scrambled to evacuate hundreds of elderly civilians in the area as well as deploy military reinforcements to bolster its frontline.

Fighting has erupted across the region as Russia moves towards Kharkiv, Ukraine‘s second-biggest city.

Ukrainian newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reported that Russian units had seized control of four villages in the region and are now advancing towards Volchansk, which they pounded with guided aerial bombs and artillery yesterday. Volchansk is just 70 kilometers from the city of Kharkiv.

Meanwhile, overnight, Russian forces released footage of a strike destroying a crucial dam in the Seversky Donets River, severing a main supply route for the Ukrainian military.

At least two civilians were killed and five were injured during the heavy shelling of border settlements, according to Oleh Synehubov, governor of Kharkiv region. Evacuees in Volchansk said they had never seen as much shelling before.

In his nightly address to the nation on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russia had “begun a new wave of counteroffensive actions,” describing it as a “fierce battle”.

He said that Kyiv’s forces had repelled most of Friday’s assault, but Moscow could send more troops to the area.

The Russian advance had sought to exploit Ukraine‘s overstretched and outnumbered troops along the more than 1,000-km (600-mile) front line. Russia also wants to take advantage of the weapons shortages before renewed supplies of arms from the US arrive.

Ukraine has long warned that a Russian counteroffensive will be launched this summer,

The assault started in the early hours of Friday morning with several missiles launched at around 5am.

While Russia reportedly won one kilometre of territory in its surprise assault yesterday, a senior Ukrainian military source said Russian forces were aiming to push Ukrainian troops as far back as 10 km inside Ukraine.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said: “It is certainly possible that the Russians are setting themselves up for a larger assault on Kharkiv.”

The influential Russian military blogger Rybar described Friday’s attack as a “reconnaissance in force” rather than a full-scale assault.

Kharkiv, which is vulnerable due to its proximity to Russia, has borne the brunt of air strikes in recent months, which have damaged the region’s power infrastructure.