Ukraine claims gains in southeast as Russia attacks Kharkiv region

Ukraine said its troops had entered the southeastern village of Robotyne and denied Russian claims that they were on the retreat in the northeast, as president Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed military and economic co-operation with Balkan leaders and top European Union officials.

Moscow did not comment on footage showing Ukrainian troops entering Robotyne in the Zaporizhzhia region, or on claims from Kyiv that at least two Russian bombers were badly damaged by drone strikes on airbases in recent days. Russia did say it had shot down several drones and stopped a Ukrainian sabotage group crossing the border on Tuesday.

“Fighters of the 47th brigade, who successfully entered the village of Robotyne, organised the evacuation of civilians … and are carrying out planned combat operations and destroying the enemy. In response, the Russians continue to shell Robotyne with artillery,” said Ukrainian deputy minister for defence Hanna Maliar.

Robotyne was occupied soon after the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine 18 months ago and sits about 25km northeast of the town of Tokmak, an important Russian-held transport hub on a main road to the key occupied city of Melitopol.

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The US-based Institute for the Study of War said “a Ukrainian advance in the [Robotyne] area may allow Ukrainian forces to begin operating past the densest Russian minefields”, in reference to obstacles that have severely limited the pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the region.

As Ukraine has attacked in the southeast and around the occupied eastern city of Bakhmut in recent weeks, Russia has intensified attacks on the town of Kupiansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region, in a bid to force Kyiv to divert troops there and retake an area that was liberated last September.

“Active fighting continues in the Kupiansk area. The enemy is now very actively spreading fake information that it allegedly captured some territories in the Kharkiv region. All these reports are false. The armed forces have not lost a single settlement,” Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said on Tuesday.

“Having no success at the front, the enemy conducts massive shelling of the civilian population. Therefore, evacuation from dangerous communities continues.”

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Russia said two Ukrainian drones were shot down over Moscow and two over the Bryansk region of western Russia, and that a Ukrainian sabotage group had been prevented from crossing the border into Russian territory.

Russia has not commented on claims from Ukrainian military intelligence sources that several Russian warplanes, including at least one Tu-22 long-range bomber, were damaged by drone strikes in recent days. Analysts say a photograph purportedly showing a Tu-22 in flames at Soltsy-2 airbase south of Saint Petersburg appears to be genuine.

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Mr Zelenskiy said Greece had agreed to help train Ukrainian pilots to fly US-made F-16 fighters, after talks with the country’s leaders in Athens. Western states have pledged to supply Kyiv with the jets once training is complete and logistical arrangements are in place.

He also discussed Ukraine’s plan to relaunch grain exports via the Black Sea with Bulgarian prime minister Nikolai Denkov and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.