The Ukrainian military finally receives the important artillery shells to stop the Russian troops near Kharkiv.
A month after the US Congress finally passed the $61 billion Ukraine aid package, Ukrainian artillerymen are reporting that crippling ammunition shortages are now slowly easing, according to the Reuters news agency. Soldiers operating a howitzer near the Russian border in the Kharkiv region are finally able to stem the advance of Russian troops, the report says.
For months, a lack of ammunition severely limited Ukraine’s defenders while the U.S. Congress blocked billions of dollars in aid. This gave Russian forces the opportunity to exploit their frontline advantage and advance on the Eastern Front.
Fighting in the northern districts of the Kharkiv region appears to be more intense than in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine that was occupied by Russia last year and devastated by months of fighting. “Their infantry keep coming in around the clock. We are repelling their attacks and trying as best as we can to incapacitate them,” a Ukrainian soldier named Pavlo told Reuters.
Russian forces claim to have crossed the border this month and captured about a dozen villages. The focus is on the city of Vovchansk, which is located just five kilometers inside the border from the Russian side. According to Ukrainian reports, they control about 60% of the city and are waging urban warfare to repel Russian attacks.
The capture of Vovchansk would be the most significant gain for Russia since the attack began. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, is only 70 km away. “We see them walking to their positions. We are of course trying to hit them to cause as many casualties as possible,” Vitalii, the artillery unit commander, told Reuters.