Hundreds evacuated from Ukraine border after Russian offensive

"A total of 1,775 people have been evacuated," governor Oleg Synegubov wroteon social media, adding that there had been Russian artillery and mortarattacks on 30 settlements in the region over the past 24 hours.
Russian forces made small advances in the border area it was pushed back fromnearly two years ago.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday said a "fierce battle" wason in the area.
The Kharkiv region has been mostly under Ukrainian control since September2022.
A senior Ukrainian military source said Russian forces had advanced onekilometre (0.6 miles) into Ukraine and were trying to "create a buffer zone"in the Kharkiv and neighbouring Sumy regions to prevent attacks on Russianterritory.
Officials in Kyiv had warned for weeks that Moscow might try to attack itsnortheastern border regions, pressing its advantage as Ukraine struggles withdelays in Western aid and manpower shortages, reports BSS.
Ukraine's military said it had deployed more troops and Zelensky saidUkrainian forces were using artillery and drones to thwart the Russianadvance.
"Reserve units have been deployed to strengthen the defence in this area ofthe front," it said.
The US-based Institute for the Study of War said on Friday that Russia hadmade "tactically significant gains".
But the main aim of the operation was "drawing Ukrainian manpower andmateriel from other critical sectors of the front in eastern Ukraine," itsaid.
ISW said it did not appear to be "a large-scale sweeping offensive operationto envelop, encircle and seize Kharkiv" -- Ukraine's second biggest city.