The governor of Russia’s Belgorod area mentioned a number of areas might be closed to most civilians.
Russia denies failure of its floor offensive into Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkov area after an official mentioned he would seal off border villages to guard them from Ukrainian shelling.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov mentioned on Tuesday that civilian entry to 14 Russian border villages could be restricted in view of the continuing assaults.
Requested whether or not that meant the Kharkiv operation failed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov mentioned Wednesday: “No, that is not the case.”
“This operation is ongoing and can proceed till it’s efficiently accomplished,” he instructed reporters.
“Though not but full, the Kiev regime’s brutal assaults on civilian infrastructure proceed. With a view to take the mandatory measures to make sure the security of the folks, new approaches are being adopted,” he mentioned.
In Might this yr, Russia launched a shock assault on Kharkiv, adjoining to Russia’s Belgorod area, in an try to repel Ukrainian troops and set up what Russian President Vladimir Putin known as a “buffer zone.”
However the Institute for Conflict Research, a US suppose tank, mentioned Ukrainian forces had largely thwarted Russian assaults across the metropolis of Kharkiv.
Metropolis officers introduced Wednesday that they’ll construct a sequence of underground colleges to guard youngsters from Russian shelling.
Asserting safety measures, the Belgorod governor mentioned greater than 200 folks had been killed and lots of injured within the space as a result of Ukrainian shelling.
Beginning subsequent Tuesday, entry to the border space might be restricted, with solely grownup males carrying bulletproof vests and helmets allowed by way of checkpoints, he mentioned.
“I hope you agree that it’s unacceptable to permit girls and kids into settlements which are shelled day by day,” Gladkov mentioned.
Final week, a Ukrainian assault within the Belgorod area additionally killed 4 folks and injured 20 folks inside 24 hours.
Ukraine has argued that its response to Russian assaults and its elevated assaults on Russian territory all through the battle have been justified. Ukraine was additionally compelled to hurry reinforcements to the area after Russia launched a brand new offensive.
prisoner trade
Nevertheless, Ukrainian President Zelensky and the Russian Protection Ministry mentioned the 2 international locations every exchanged 95 prisoners of struggle (POW) on Wednesday.
The swap is the 54th since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and was performed beneath the mediation of the United Arab Emirates.
We proceed to deliver our folks residence. One other 95 defenders have been launched from Russian imprisonment. They’re fighters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Nationwide Guard and Border Guards.
I wish to thank our communication staff and the United Arab Emirates… pic.twitter.com/ozVW5wQ1Ie
— Vladimir Zelensky/Vladimir Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) July 17, 2024
Neither facet has revealed what number of prisoners there are in whole, however they’ve carried out common prisoner exchanges by way of intermediaries for the reason that struggle started almost two years in the past, regardless of the absence of any peace talks.
