Russian Northeast Offensive Pushes On As Putin Blames Kyiv

Russian forces were pressing ahead Friday with their offensive in north-east Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin said there were no current plans to occupy Kharkiv city, the regional capital

Kyiv, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th May, 2024) Russian forces were pressing ahead Friday with their offensive in north-east Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin said there were no current plans to occupy Kharkiv city, the regional capital.

On a trip to China, Putin said the latest assault was direct retaliation for Ukrainian shelling of Russia's border regions and that Moscow was trying to create a "security zone".

"This is their fault because they have shelled and continue to shell residential neighbourhoods in border areas," Putin told reporters, adding there was no intention at this stage to take Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city about 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the border where more than a million people still live.

Moscow launched the surprise offensive into Ukraine's north east on May 10, sending thousands of troops across the border and unleashing artillery fire on several settlements.

Both countries said Friday that Russian troops were continuing to advance, as Ukraine warned more heavy fighting lay ahead.

In a daily briefing, Russia's defence ministry said its army had "liberated 12 settlements in the Kharkiv region over the last week... and continues to advance deep into enemy defences."

Russian forces took control of 278 square kilometres (107 square miles) -- their biggest gains in a year-and-a-half -- between May 9 and 15, AFP has calculated using data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Most of that has been in the northeastern region, though its troops have also advanced in the south.