Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he expects Russia to step up its offensive in the north-east, saying that fighting in the region could be the “first wave” in a wider offensive.

Zelenskyy noted that Russian troops advanced between five to 10km (3-6 miles) along the north-eastern border before being stopped by Ukrainian forces.

He averred that the situation in the Kharkiv region had been “controlled” but “not stabilised.”

“I won’t say it’s a great success [for Russia] but we have to be sober and understand that they are going deeper into our territory,” he said.

“Not the other way around. And this is still their advantage. They want to attack (but) they understand that (attacking) Kharkiv is very difficult.

“It is a big city, and they understand that we have forces that will fight for a long time. If they are stopped, they will not die in millions for the sake of Kharkiv.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy

As expected, Zelenskyy doubled down on pleas for allies to send more air defence and fighter jets to combat Russia’s air superiority as the war grinds through its third year.

He warned that Kyiv has only a quarter of the air defences it needs to hold the front line.

“Today, we have about 25% of what we need to defend Ukraine. I’m talking about air defence,” he said.

He stated that Ukraine needed “120 to 130” F-16 fighter jets or other advanced aircraft to achieve “parity” with Russia.

Additionally, Zelensky acknowledged that there were issues with staffing and “morale” within Ukraine’s often outgunned and outmanned ranks.

“We need to staff the reserves, he said, adding, “A large number of [brigades] are empty.”

At present, Ukraine is “outmanned in terms of soldiers” in parts of the front line even before the latest Russian attacks.

It is said that there were seven Russian soldiers to one Ukrainian soldier.

In an effort to increase troop numbers, Zelenskyy signed two laws, one to enable prisoners to join the army and another that increases fines for draft dodgers fivefold.

Moreover, Zelenskyy insisted that Ukraine was still playing the long game as western allies pressed for a quick end to the war.

“The west wants the war to end. Period. As soon as possible. And, for them, this is a fair peace,” he said.

“We are in a nonsense situation where the west is afraid that Russia will lose the war. And it does not want Ukraine to lose it,” he added.

Ukraine Repels Attempts To Break Through Defence

Also on Saturday, the Governor of Kharkiv, Oleg Synegubov, said that Ukraine’s armed forces had repelled two attempts to break through defences overnight, with the situation “under control.”

“In the area of the city of Vovchansk, Ukrainian troops are reinforcing their defence to improve the tactical situation,” Synegubov said.

Ukrainian officials have accused Russian soldiers in Vovchansk of capturing dozens of civilians and using them as “human shields” to defend their command headquarters.

Ukraine has evacuated almost 10,000 people from the north-east border area since Russia launched the assault.

Ukrainian Army Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said Russia was trying to force Ukraine to pull up even more troops from its reserves.

“We realise that there will be heavy fighting ahead and the enemy is preparing for it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Russian President, Vladimir Putin has said that there was no intention at this stage to take Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, about 30km (18 miles) from the border.

Military analysts say that the north-eastern offensive could aim to further stretch Ukrainian troops and resources, with Russia pressing its manpower and ammunition advantage.