Only 200-300 people remain in the town, Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Suniehubov said, as Moscow’s troops advance in an effort to surround it from three directions. It is a significant advance that could pin Ukrainian forces in the northeast while heavy fighting continues in the Donetsk region. On Monday, Ukrainian troops were still locked in pitched battles in both regions, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “Defensive battles are ongoing, fierce battles, on a large part of our border area,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Sunday. In March, Russia announced plans to evacuate about 9,000 children from the Belgorod region because it was being shelled continuously.

Source: ABC News May 13, 2024 14:26 UTC