Ukraine updates: Hundreds evacuated from Kharkiv following Russia's attack

Hundreds of civilians were evacuated from Ukraine's border with Russia in the Kharkiv region, the local governor said on Saturday, a day after Moscow launched a renewed ground offensive there.

"A total of 1,775 people have been evacuated," governor Oleg Synegubov wrote on social media.

He said that there had been Russian artillery and mortar attacks on 30 settlements in Kharkiv over the last 24 hours.

Kyiv sent reinforcements as fighting erupted at the border on Friday, the defense ministry said.

"Russia has begun a new wave of counteroffensive actions in this direction," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told a news conference in Kyiv. "Now there is a fierce battle in this direction."

The Kharkiv front in Ukraine's northeast had been comparatively calm and motionless for months, albeit with both sides frequently launching aerial attacks — often at the major cities of Kharkiv and Belgorod either side of the border.

At least two civilians were killed in Friday's attackImage: SERGEY KOZLOV/EPA

At least two civilians were killed and five were injured during heavy shelling at the border settlements, governor Synehubov said. But he also sought to downplay the attempted attack's effectiveness.

"All the enemy can do is to attack in certain small groups, you can call them sabotage and reconnaissance groups or something else, and test the positions of our military," he said.

Ukraine had warned of a Russian buildup in the area, potentially signaling preparations for an offensive but had also said it was not sure if Moscow would go through with an attack. 

While the Ukrainian military was prepared for Friday's attack, Zelenskyy said he worried Russia could send more reinforcements.

The commander of Ukraine's ground forces predicted that the more than 2-year-old war against Russia would enter a critical phase in the next two months as Moscow attempts to exploit the time before military aid reaches Ukraine.

"Russia knows that if we receive enough weapons within a month or two, the situation could turn against them," General Oleskander Pavliuk told The Economist magazine in an interview. 

mk/msh (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)