The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky claimed today that the Ukrainian army has achieved “tangible results” in the Kharkiv region (north-east), which has been under heavy Russian attack since May 10.

“In the Kharkiv region, our forces are exterminating the invaders, the results are tangible,” he said in a video message broadcast tonight.

Since the start of their fierce attack, the invaders have captured several locations in this Ukrainian region bordering the Russiaforcing Kiev to rush reinforcements.

President Zelensky estimated that it may have been the “first wave” of a wider offensive to capture Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city after the capital Kiev.

For his part, the Kremlin strongman Vladimir Putin argued that Moscow’s aim was to create a “safe zone” on Ukrainian soil to prevent strikes on Russia’s border regions.

Its general staff of national defense Ukrainian said today that “fighting continues in the north of the city of Bovchansk and in the Staritsia district” of Kharkiv, but “the situation is under control.”

In his message this evening, the Ukrainian president also said that fighting is raging in the Donetsk region, naming the regions of Kramatorsk and Kurakovo.

According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the Russian army has tried unsuccessfully in the last 24 hours to cause cracks in the Ukrainian defense. “The situation remains tense, but under control,” he assured.