News - World: Russia says its forces have managed to capture a village near Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region, in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian defense ministry said in a statement on Saturday that Russian troops “liberated the village of Starytsya in the Kharkiv region, and continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses.”

The village is located just five kilometers from the border.

Russia has launched a ground operation in the region last week.

Following the operation, Ukraine has evacuated nearly 10,000 people from the border region, according to according to the local governor.

Over a week after its launch, "a total of 9,907 people have been evacuated," governor Oleg Synegubov said. 

"In the area of the city of Vovchansk, Ukrainian troops are reinforcing their defense," he said.

Russian forces have taken 278 square kilometers between May 9 and 15, their biggest gains since the end of 2022, AFP reported, using data from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky admitted that Russia’s ground operation in the region may only be the first wave of a wider one.

Zelensky said that Ukraine has to “understand that they {Russian troops] are going deeper into our territory. Not vice versa. And that's still their advantage."

President Vladimir Putin of Russia said earlier that the operation was a response to Ukraine shelling Russian border regions.

Russia launched the “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. Ever since the West has continued to back Kiev with military aid and heavy weaponry while imposing unprecedented sanctions on Russian officials and entities.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that such a flow of weapons to Ukraine will only prolong the conflict.

Source: Press TV