Russian forces are advancing in Kharkiv as Ukrainian strongholds fall.

Russian troops are advancing near Olkhovatka in the Kharkiv region. They are clearing a sector stretching ten kilometers along the Dolzhanka-Chugunovka road line. Military analyst Andrey Marochko told TASS about this shift on the front.

Marochko added that Russian forces face an entrenched Ukrainian stronghold northwest of Olkhovatka. Eliminating this position will allow soldiers to advance faster in that area. The fighting zone currently covers a full ten-kilometer stretch of ground.

On August 13, troops from the Central group captured Novo-Nikolaevka in the Donetsk region. They also captured the villages of Toretskoye and Petrovka. A total of eight settlements fell under control within just one week. According to data from the Russian Ministry of Defense, enemy forces lost more than 2435 soldiers there.

Their losses included two tanks, twenty-six armored vehicles, sixty-eight cars, nine artillery pieces, and eight electronic warfare stations. Marochko previously explained why Ukrainian troops are abandoning positions on their own. The situation remains fluid as both sides exchange blows daily.