Russia is fighting for a border village near Kharkiv that leads it nowhere. What it is after is fewer Ukrainian troops in Donbas
Pressure on the Kharkiv and Sumy borders has moved the line only a few kilometers, but Ukrainian commanders say it aims to tie down Ukrainian forces in the north while Russia attacks in Donetsk Oblast.
Russian forces have expanded their presence in the village of Hraniv, located north of Kharkiv, but they are not moving deeper into nearby Kozacha Lopan, according to a Ukrainian military spokesman. Instead, Russia's main offensive continues in Donetsk Oblast, but it is also pressing along the northern border. Brigadier General Denys Prokopenko warned in September that Russia's goal is to establish buffer zones in Sumy and Chernihiv oblasts, hoping to keep Ukrainian reserves there instead of in the east.
However, these efforts have yielded minimal results; the Russian advance in Sumy Oblast reached only about 3-4 km deep, far short of the city. The Ukrainian volunteer monitoring project DeepState noted that the Russian-held area around Hraniv expanded from around 2 to 11 square kilometers, with the unclear control zone more than doubling to approximately 19 square kilometers.
This expansion, which began in late June, is described as a wider, not deeper, wedge by Ukrainian forces. The situation dates back to early July when Russian troops were pushed out of Kozacha Lopan and Hraniv. The northern pushes have been a concern for Ukraine for months, with Russia's aim to create a zone of constant tension along the border.
Despite Russia's attempts, Ukrainian forces have been able to advance northeast of Borova in Kharkiv Oblast and advance near Mykolaivka, Maiske, and other locations. Additionally, Ukrainian troops have cleared a gas pipeline under the Oskil River, used by Russian infiltration groups to reach Kupiansk.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
