President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now been reportedly compelled to cancel an intended excursion to Spain in order to immediately proceed to Kharkiv, the country’s second most populous city, which is once more in grave danger from a new Russian advance.
Kyiv announced that Ukrainian forces have retreated in the vicinity of a number of villages in the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Russian forces have been advancing and shelling frontier settlements since the previous week.
Last week, Moscow executed an unexpected and significant ground offensive in the area, aiming to progress across the battlefield while Kiev grapples with resource and personnel constraints.
“The situation is very serious. We cannot afford to lose Kharkiv.” Zelenskyy remarked during a recent interview with ABC News.
“It’s the world’s fault,” he replied. “They gave the opportunity for Putin to occupy.” he continued.
Ukraine’s emergency services reported on Wednesday that approximately 8,000 people have been evacuated from the northeastern Kharkiv region since Russia launched a significant ground assault there last week.
Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared the additional allocation of $2 billion in military assistance to Ukrainian forces.
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