Russia claims to have captured 5 villages in Kharkiv region, Ukraine denies it
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, Russian troops allegedly continue to establish control over a number of settlements. However, the Ukrainian Forces report that the "grey zone" has not expanded, and that the enemy has been repelled.
According to the Russian Defence Ministry, the Russian 'North' group of forces supposedly gained control over the following settlements in Kharkiv region: Borisovka, Ogurtsove, Pletenivka, Pylnaya, and Strelechya.
"The combatants and equipment of the 23rd, 43rd mechanized brigades of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as the 120th, 125th territorial defense brigades and the 15th border detachment, have been defeated in the regions of Volchansk, Vesele, Gluboke, Neskuchnoe, and Krasne of Kharkiv region," the statement of the Russian Defense Ministry reads.
Nazar Voloshin, a representative of the Ukrainian operational-strategic group of forces 'Khortytsia', claimed during a news broadcast that the so-called "grey zone" in Kharkiv region had not begun to expand and that the Ukrainian Forces were not allowing the Russians to advance deeper into the region.
"By decision of the command, our defense units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been strengthened, and this is now being implemented. The enemy is localized in the 'grey zone'; it is not expanding. However, the issue is to destroy the enemy and flush them out from the forest areas where they could be hiding," announced Nazar Voloshin.
Nevertheless, at the time of the statement, fighting was ongoing in the settlements considered to be in the "grey zone."
According to the OSINT project DeepState, the settlements that the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed to have captured are still in the "grey zone."
On May 11th, Ukrainian Armed Forces discussed the situation with the Russian offensive in the north of Kharkiv region. Ivan Tymochko, chairman of the Reserve Council of the Ground Forces, stated that the Russian troops in the area were tasked with diverting Ukrainian reserves and resources.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces are attempting to incite panic among the Ukrainian military to provoke the redeployment of personnel and resources from Donetsk and Luhansk regions to Kharkiv region.