Russia launches first cross-border attack in Ukraine

In another attack on Kharkiv, authorities reported that at least two people were injured in a powerful Russian rocket attack that destroyed 26 houses.

Residents have drawn up plans to flee Kharkiv if the situation worsens, while a Ukrainian lawmaker said schools there have now closed.

For the first time since the Russian military withdrew from the city’s outskirts in September 2022, senior Russian officials are again talking about Kharkiv as a target.

Russian forces have been dominant on the front lines over the past eight months as they took advantage of their larger arsenal and troop strength.

Britain’s Defense Ministry said Russia increased its attacks along the front line by 17 percent in April, and the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said the Kremlin was determined to expand its dominance on the battlefield.

“This reflects current battlefield conditions and the Russian military command’s intention to make gains before Western military aid arrives at the front,” it said.

The Kremlin has moved quickly to bolster its army after striking arms deals with North Korea and Iran last year, converting civilian factories into weapons factories and sending thousands of convicts to war.

US lawmakers, meanwhile, delayed a major arms deal with Ukraine for months and only passed the £48 billion package at the end of April. Ukraine has also had difficulty recruiting new members of its military.

Analysts said that while Russia now had a clear material advantage, Russian progress on the battlefield was slow and that the threat to Kharkiv may have been overstated.