Fierce fighting in Ukraine’s northeastern province of Kharkiv forced residents to flee Saturday as Russia continued its renewed invasion of the region that was liberated about eight months into the war.
Residents evacuated villages in the border region and fled to the city of Kharkiv, about 30 miles south of the border, as Russia claimed it had taken at least five villages, The Kyiv Independent reported.
Ukrainian military officials maintained that Russian troops were being “held back” to a half mile of territory along the border.
It was the most intense offensive waged by either side in two years, CNN reported.
Kyiv said it didn’t believe Russia had enough manpower available to claim the city — Ukraine’s second largest, with about 1.5 million residents before the war — but anticipated Russian troops would move in that direction Saturday as part of a renewed offensive push.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky defiantly said Moscow’s decision to return to the front lines in Kharkiv “will give more opportunities to our soldiers.”
“We are sending more troops to the Kharkiv sector,” Zelensky said. “Both along our state border and along the entire front line, we will invariably destroy (Russian forces) in such a way as to disrupt any Russian offensive intentions.”
Evacuees from the towns, where many residents speak Russian and have other ties with the country, had terse words for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We are leaving because we are dying from the ‘Russian world,’” said 60-year-old Valerii Dubskyi. “It can go to hell, together with Putin and their authorities. They are our enemies. They tested all types of weapons on us, except for the nuclear bomb.”
Noting he hadn’t eaten in 24 hours, Dubskyi called his life a “nightmare.”
“I thought old age would be a quiet time,” he said. “But just look at it. And there are many more millions like me, thanks to Putin.”
Russian forces in total attacked eight areas of Ukraine along the front line since Friday.
In a social media post, showing video of devastation in several regions including Kharkiv, Zelensky said “every air defense system and missile delivered to Ukraine is an asset that literally saves lives and keeps our cities and communities alive.”
Zelensky used the post to call for military aid to be stepped up.
“It is critical that partners make timely deliveries to support our warriors and Ukrainian resilience. Truly timely,” he said. “A package that really helps is the actual delivery of weapons to Ukraine, not just the announcement of a package. Russian terror must be defeated. This can only be accomplished with specific strength and weapons. Life must prevail. I am grateful to everyone around the world who is assisting us with attaining this goal.”
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