Russian troops have stopped attempts by Ukrainian forces to launch counterattacks in the Kharkov Region, where units of the 58th and 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigades remain encircled, Russian security sources told RIA Novosti.

One assault was launched near Kazachya Lopan. Troops from Ukraine’s 58th Separate Mechanized Brigade moved forward but came under coordinated fire and failed to build on the attack.

Russian forces also detected preparations for another counterattack by the 22nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. Ukrainian troops planned to use armored vehicles, but the move was disrupted before it could be carried out. According to the agency’s source, FPV drone crews from the Sever group of forces destroyed Ukrainian tanks and personnel.

The fighting comes as a Ukrainian grouping remains encircled in the northeastern part of the Kharkov Region. On September 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that up to 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen had been trapped in the encirclement.

Two days later, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that units of the Sever group of forces had taken control of Vasilyevka, Blagodatnoye and Dolzhanka in the Kharkov Region.

Putin said eliminating the encircled grouping would allow the line of contact to be pushed at least 20 kilometers away from the border areas of the Belgorod Region.