Ukraine's Khartiia Corps builds 135 km of anti-tank ditches around Kharkiv

The construction includes an extensive network of trenches and foxholes, anti-tank ditches, non-explosive obstacles, bunkers and other fortifications.

The outer defense ring currently under construction comprises three anti-tank ditches with a combined length of 135 kilometers, a line of tetrahedral obstacles, 135 kilometers of barbed wire and 90 kilometers of low-visibility barriers. Construction of an inner defense ring will follow as the next phase.

On May 21, spokesman for the 8th Air Assault Corps Vadym Karpyak said Russia's immediate objective is to seize one of Ukraine's regional centers, with Sumy and Kharkiv identified as enemy targets.

In March, commander of the Joint Forces grouping Mykhailo Drapatyi explained that Russian forces are seeking to establish a 20-kilometer buffer zone along the border in the Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts by seizing border villages.

As of early May, the situation on the Kupyansk front also deteriorated, with Russian forces intensifying offensive operations and continuing pressure on Ukrainian positions, Joint Forces spokesman Viktor Trehubov said.

Key focal points remain the city of Kupyansk itself and the right bank of the Oskil River. Russian forces have been attempting to advance from the north, where they made limited gains near Holubivka.