Russian troops in Kharkiv pushed back by Ukrainian counter-offensive, Zelensky says

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops made gains in battle pushing Russian troops out of four villages near Kharkiv.

The Ukrainian counter-attack could signal a new phase of the conflict, making supply lines into Russia potentially vulnerable further crippling the Kremlin attack.

President Zelensky said, however, that he didn’t want Ukrainians to become complacent about the military successes in the northeastern region.

“But I also want to urge all our people... not to spread excessive emotions. We should not create an atmosphere of excessive moral pressure, where victories are expected weekly and even daily,” he said in a video address.

Foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba added to this, voicing what appeared to be increasing confidence — and expanded goals, suggesting Ukraine could go beyond just forcing Russia back to areas it held before the invasion began 11 weeks ago.

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Mr Kuleba told the Financial Times that Ukraine initially believed victory would be the withdrawal of Russian troops to positions they occupied before the 24 February invasion. But the focus shifted to the eastern industrial heartland of the Donbas after Russian forces failed to take Kyiv early in the war.

“Now if we are strong enough on the military front, and we win the battle for Donbas, which will be crucial for the following dynamics of the war, of course the victory for us in this war will be the liberation of the rest of our territories,” Mr Kuleba said.

The region's governor Oleg Synegubov has said Russian troops have left behind “deadly traps” in the area as fighters of the armed forces continue with their offensive.

In a Telegram message, Mr Synegubov wrote: “Retreating, the Russian occupiers leave behind deadly traps.”

He went on urge residents to remain indoors as the “fierce fighting” continued.

“The enemy is insidious and is doing everything to hurt as many civilian Ukrainians as possible,” he added.

American military think-tank, the Institute of War, said the Ukrainian counter-attack will target the northeastern suburbs of Kharkiv and will potentially enable Ukrainian forces to threaten Russian rear areas with their own shelling and further attacks. It added that Ukrainian troops have probably closed Russian forces to within 10km (6 miles) of the border.

Mr Kuleba's statement seemed to reflect political ambitions more than battlefield realities: Russian forces have made advances in the Donbas and control more of it than they did before the war began. But it highlights how Ukraine has stymied a larger, better-armed Russian military, surprising many who had anticipated a much quicker end to the conflict.

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The news comes as the latest British intelligence said Ukraine had successfully struck Russian air defences and resupply vessels with Bayraktar drones. It added that Russia’s resupply vessels have minimal protection in the western Black sea, following the Rusian Navy’s retreat to Crimea after the loss of the Moskva.

Fighting is also ongoing at Snake Island with Russian repeatedly trying to reinforce its exposed garrison located there. It was reported that president Putin’s patrol boat used to inspect naval fleets was destroyed by a Ukrainian drone.

The Raptor-class patrol vessel was targeted by a laser-guided bomb dropped from a Ukraine-operated Bayraktar TB2 drone near Snake Island in the Black Sea on 8 May, the Ukrainian ministry of defence said. Similar attacks were reported by Ukraine’s armed forces in recent days including the destruction of a Serna-class landing craft by a TB2.