Kharkiv Oblast’s Vovchansk authorities have denied reports of Russian forces entering the city, despite ongoing shelling and fighting. Automatic gunfire and explosions are audible at the city’s northern edge, attributed to its proximity—only four kilometers from the Russian border north of the city.

Tamaz Hambarashvili, head of the city’s military administration, stated in a comment to the public broadcaster Suspilne that there is no officially confirmed presence of Russian invaders in Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, where constant shelling and combat persist. According to him, the Ukrainian military are operating in the area.

“At the moment, it (the information, – Ed.) has not been officially confirmed, because the military are currently working on the northern border of the city itself, and you can hear gunshots and explosions, but you know that Vovchansk is located four kilometers from the border, so this area is constantly under fire, there are constant battles. That’s why such a picture is formed. For now, Vovchansk is and will remain Ukraine,” the official said on 12 May afternoon.

Oleh Syniehubov, Head of the Kharkiv Regional Administration, reported that in Vovchansk, up to 500 people remain as the evacuation of civilians continues.

Syniehubov says the Russian forces are intensifying their assaults, with an increase in mass artillery and air strikes over the previous day, putting Vovchansk, Lyptsi, and all northern border points of the region under nearly constant enemy fire. According to Syniehubov, the situation is complex, and recent reports indicate two civilians, a 46-year-old woman and a 74-year-old man, were injured in Lyptsi and Vovchansk.

During the night leading into 10 May, the Russians launched a new offensive wave on the Kharkiv front. The occupiers attempted to break through the Ukrainian defensive line with the support of armored vehicles. In response, the Ukrainian Armed Forces dispatched reserve units to the area.

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