Russian forces advance in Kharkov region, Ukrainian troops pull back

Military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS that Ukrainian servicemen have begun to flee from their positions in Zakharovka in the Kharkov region under pressure from Russian forces approaching from the direction of the neighboring liberated settlement of Volokhovskoye. He said that after Russian fighters took control of several strategic heights, it became "extremely disadvantageous" for Ukrainian militants to remain in the area.

Marochko further reported that Ukrainian troops, having lost control of Zakharovka, are now moving southeast and have taken up reserve positions in the Vasilyevka area. He described the new positions as "extremely disadvantageous," noting that the soldiers are covered only by a small wooded area, with the Plotva River running along the section, leaving them exposed in lowland terrain. Russian military personnel, he said, have already taken control of heights that allow them to dominate large areas of the surrounding terrain.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that Russian troops established control over the settlements of Zakharovka and Ivashkino in the Kharkov region on July 24. Marochko also told TASS that Ukrainian militants in Ivashkino have relocated to the second and third lines of defense.

Separately, a Russian defense source told TASS that Ukrainian forces attempted a counterattack near Ivashkino using ex-convicts from the 129th separate heavy mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces. According to the source, more than half of the attacking group was eliminated by Russian strikes, and the rest fled back to their original positions.

The same source alleged that Ukraine had deceived about 11,000 convicts who joined the armed forces, failing to grant them promised rights, including termination of probation supervision after a year of service, and preventing them from being discharged or transferred after being wounded.

These reports come from Russian military and official sources and have not been independently verified.