The Russian offensive may consist of several waves. The first wave was in the Kharkiv region. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with AFP, UNN reports .
Details
Zelensky said that the situation in Kharkiv region, where thousands of people were forced to flee their homes, was "controlled" but "not stabilized.
An AFP estimate based on data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed that Russian troops had advanced more than 278 square kilometers (107 square miles) in their offensive, their biggest success in a year and a half.
Zelenskiy noted that Russian troops penetrated 5-10 kilometers along the northeastern border before being stopped by Ukrainian forces.
According to him, the Russian offensive "may consist of several waves. The first wave was in Kharkiv region.
Zelenskiy downplayed Russia's successes on the offensive so far, but added: "We have to be sober and realize that they are going deeper into our territory. And not vice versa. And this is still their advantage.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said in China that Russia allegedly has no plans to seize Kharkiv.
But Zelenskiy said that Russian forces "want to attack" the city, although they realize that it will be "very difficult.
They realize that we have forces that will fight for a long time,
Addendum
Back in early May, Vadym Skibitskyi , the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, reportedthat Russia was preparing to attack Kharkiv and Sumy regions in late May or early June.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Dmytro Lazutkin notedthat the Ukrainian military is ready for a possible Russian offensive in Sumy region.