KYIV: Ukraine rushed reinforcements to its northeastern Kharkiv region on Friday to hold off a Russian attempt to breach local defences, authorities said, signalling a tactical switch in the war by Moscow that Ukrainian officials had been expecting for weeks.
Intense nighttime shelling targeted Vovchansk, in the Kharkiv region and less than 5 km (3 miles) from the Russian border, regional Gov Oleh Syniehubov said. The barrage killed at least one civilian and wounded five others.
Around dawn, Russian infantry tried to penetrate Ukrainian defences near Vovchansk, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said, adding that it had deployed reserve units to fend off the attack.