Russian forces are advancing south of Volchansk in the Kharkov Region, according to Military Review. Near the previously captured settlements of Vilcha and Ukrainskoye, Russian units reportedly launched converging attacks and eliminated a Ukrainian grouping trapped in a roughly 30-square-kilometer fire pocket.

The operation prevented Ukrainian troops from establishing defensive positions near Zemlyanoy Yar, which had also previously come under Russian control.

The current line of contact in this sector runs near the villages of Yurchenkovo and Bely Kolodez, the publication reported. Along the Volchansk direction, Russian forces have established a buffer zone extending approximately 22 kilometers into the border area of the Kharkov Region.

The advance has expanded Russian-controlled territory both on the left bank of the Oskol River and in the part of the region lying east of the Seversky Donets.

Eliminating the fire pocket near Vilcha and Zemlyanoy Yar has also reduced the distance separating Russian troops from the transport and logistics hubs of Prikolotnoye and Veliky Burluk.