Putin states Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv "as of today"

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has stated that "as of today", Russia does not plan to seize the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti, citing Putin

Quote: "As for Kharkiv, there are no such plans as of today."

Details: At the same time, Putin stated that Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast "have been moving strictly according to plan every day, achieving success."

Background:

• On 10 May, it was reported that Russian forces had intensified their activities in Kharkiv Oblast, with fighting taking place there.
• During a briefing with Slovakian President Zuzana Čaputová, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Russian troops had launched a new wave of offensive operations on the Kharkiv front.
• Ukraine's Defence Ministry reported that reserve units had been sent to the north of Kharkiv Oblast.
• The Russians have seized up to 10 villages in Kharkiv Oblast. The Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group reported that the grey zone in Kharkiv Oblast is not expanding, and Ukrainian forces are not letting the Russians advance deeper into the oblast.
• UK Defence Intelligence believes it is unlikely that Russia has built up sufficient combat power to capture Kharkiv without bringing additional forces to the oblast.
• Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said that there are no plans to evacuate the population or certain groups of residents from the city of Kharkiv as of 15 May. On the contrary, people are currently coming to the city from those settlements in Kharkiv Oblast where active hostilities are taking place.

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