Vladimir Putin's military forces are "completely bogged down" in the battle for Kharkiv, the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief said Thursday, as his country works to beat back the latest Russian incursion on their northeastern border.
"After the first minor successes in the course of offensive battles in Kharkiv Oblast, the enemy was completely bogged down in street battles for Volchansk and suffered very high losses in the personnel of the assault units," Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on social media.
"Currently, the enemy is transferring reserves from various directions, trying to support active assault operations, but without success."
Moscow's ground assault marked one of the biggest losses of territory for Ukraine since the outbreak of total war in 2022. Ukrainian soldiers are reportedly overwhelmed and stretched thin across the 620 mile front line, while Russian soldiers continue to bombard their troops.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukraine's allies to provide more aid on Thursday, after Russia fired 15 missiles at Kharkiv, killing seven people inside a printing house.
"This weakness is not our weakness, but that of the world's, which for the third year already has not dared to deal with the terrorists exactly as they deserve," he wrote on social media.
This sentiment was also shared by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who criticized allies that have Patriot missile systems but won't lend them to Ukraine.
"No naming and shaming, but I once again urge countries that have 'Patriots' to speed up decisions and provide these systems to Ukraine. I believe that seven 'Patriot' systems are not a high price to pay for long-term peace in Europe," he wrote.
"Unfortunately, mere words of solidarity do not intercept Russian missiles."
