On Thursday, the Russian military announced it had captured the village of Milove in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, thus opening a new front along their shared border. This claim came without immediate comment from Ukraine.
Milove is significant as it lies on a section of the border that had not been penetrated by Russian forces since the offensive began in 2022. Prior to the conflict, the village was home to several hundred residents.
The Russian defense ministry declared, “As a result of decisive actions, the village of Melovoye in the Kharkiv region has been liberated,” using the Russian spelling for the village.
In contrast, the Ukrainian army stated in a briefing earlier on the same day that Russian forces had made repeated attempts to break through near Milove but confirmed they were “steadfastly holding back” these advances.
The situation indicates that Moscow has been gradually pushing forward on the front line for over a year, taking advantage of overstretched and outmanned Ukrainian troops. Notably, Russian military advances accelerated for a third consecutive month in June, marking the most significant gains since November, according to an analysis by AFP based on data from the Institute for the Study of War.
