Russian troops are attacking the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine, opening a new front

Ukraine immediately sent reinforcements to the northeastern Kharkiv region to repel a Russian attempt to breach local defenses, authorities said. It was a tactical shift by Moscow that Ukrainian officials have been anticipating for weeks as the war enters its third year.

Intense nighttime shelling targeted Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region and less than five kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The barrage prompted authorities to begin evacuating around 3,000 people.

Then, around dawn, Russian infantry attempted to penetrate Ukrainian defenses near Vovchansk, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said, adding that it had deployed reserve units to repel the attack.

Russian military bloggers said the attack could mark the start of a Russian attempt to establish a “buffer zone” that President Vladimir Putin announced earlier this year to stop frequent Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod and other Russian border regions.

Ukraine had previously said it was aware that Russia was amassing thousands of troops along its northeastern border near the Kharkiv and Sumy regions. As Kremlin forces launched their latest ground offensive in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian intelligence officials said they expected Kremlin forces to also attack in the northeast.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country’s military anticipated the attack and coordinated its response.

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