Kharkiv

On May 16, intense fighting continued along almost the entire frontline, with 58 combat engagements recorded, with the Russian occupiers being most active in the Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk sectors, and Ukrainian troops taking measures to prevent their advance.

In the northern part of Vovchansk, Russian troops take civilians prisoner, first executions are reported, Interior Ministry said.

While clearing a settlement in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian forces killed four Russian soldiers and captured two more who had occupied a civilian building.

Zelenskyy held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff in Kharkiv to discuss the situation at the front, analyze the prospects for the development of the combat situation, threats for the coming days and weeks, and determine a plan for further actions amid the Russian offensive.

Due to the chronic shortage of electricity production and imports for the current level of consumption in Ukraine, additional emergency blackouts were introduced as morning peaks proved to be more difficult than expected.

Ukraine is facing a significant electricity shortage, with hourly blackouts in all regions, and imports from 5 EU countries are planned to overcome the shortage.

The defense forces thwarted the plans of Russian troops to penetrate into the depths of Vovchansk's urban area and gain a foothold there, continuing to perform combat missions within the urban area in the northern part of the city and keeping the enemy under fire control, the General Staff said.

Russian troops are trying to break through and block Siversk to create conditions for an offensive on Sloviansk, but their advance in this direction is relatively halted, while Chasiv Yar remains under the control of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Ukraine has faced power outages due to electricity shortages, with restrictions on industry scheduled for today from 4 p. m., and has asked the EU for emergency assistance.

The Security Service of Ukraine has detained an 18-year-old Kharkiv resident who is suspected of being an FSB agent who collected intelligence to help plan a new Russian offensive in the region.

Ukrainian troops are preventing russian occupiers from gaining a foothold in the northern part of Vovchansk, combing through buildings and delivering fire strikes against the enemy to stabilize the situation.

Over the past day, 13 local residents were wounded in hostile shelling of Kharkiv region, and private houses, a dormitory and a family medicine outpatient clinic were damaged.

Since the beginning of the day, Ukrainian troops have repelled 140 enemy attacks in multiple directions, and intense fighting continues in various parts of the frontline.

Ukraine's defense forces managed to stabilize the situation in the Kharkiv sector, particularly on the northwestern outskirts of Vovchansk, despite intense fighting along the entire front line, which resulted in significant losses in manpower and equipment.

Two men, aged 40 and 20, were injured and hospitalized after a 5-story building in Kharkiv was damaged by enemy shelling.

During talks in Kyiv, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken discussed accelerating military aid, including Patriot air defense systems, to thwart Russia's offensive plans.

The Russian army shelled the center of Kharkiv again, injuring one person.

Ukraine's defense and security forces have managed to partially stabilize the situation in Kharkiv region, paying particular attention to the frontline areas near the border and Vovchansk, where they continue to defend themselves against the Russian occupation forces.

On May 15, russian troops shelled the village of Oleksandrivka, Kharkiv region, with artillery, damaging residential buildings, outbuildings, cars, and destroying a store.

France will supply Ukraine with a new batch of Aster anti-aircraft missile systems to ensure the continuous operation of the SAMP-T air defense system.

Russian troops are attempting to push Ukrainian troops out of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, but Ukrainian soldiers are fighting back, returning fire and continuing to comb the northwestern outskirts of the city.

So far, 292 cases of sexual violence by russians against Ukrainians have been recorded. The occupiers committed most crimes in Kherson, Donetsk, Kyiv and Kharkiv regions

Border guards destroyed Russian combat vehicles and tanks that were trying to break through the Ukrainian defense on the outskirts of Vovchansk.

The head of the Kharkiv regional military administration said that photos of the remaining "dragon's teeth" barriers in the region are part of a Russian disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting the military and spreading chaos, and that the number of remaining barriers is insignificant compared to the total amount of work done.

Since yesterday, the Russians have resumed active assault operations in the Kupyansko-Lymanske direction towards the town of Lyman, fighting continues in Synkivka, where Ukrainian troops repelled about 16 attacks.

Ukraine decides how to wage a defensive war against the Russian invasion, while the United States provides the weapons necessary for Ukraine's victory, but does not encourage or facilitate strikes on Russian territory with American weapons.

About 8,000 civilians have been evacuated from Kharkiv region since May 10, mostly from the northern border areas of Kharkiv, Chuhuiv and Bohodukhiv districts, as Russian forces continue their offensive in the region.

At the moment, the enemy is focusing its assault actions in the direction of Hlyboke to Lypky to the right and in three directions near the town of Vovchansk.

In the Kharkiv sector, the Ukrainian Armed Forces partially drove the Russian occupiers out of the city of Vovchansk. Defensive actions are underway in the northern and northwestern outskirts of the city.

Reports of Russian troops occupying the city of Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, are not true, as most of the city remains under Ukrainian control, reports the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.