The Russians stepped up operations in the Kharkiv direction, seven clashes took place there

In the Kharkiv direction, Russian troops became more active — on the afternoon of May 19, seven combat clashes took place there.

This is stated in the summary of the General Staff as of 1:30 p.m.

The Russians are trying to suppress units of the Defense Forces near Vovchansk, Staritsa, and Liptsi. Near Lukyantsi, Russian troops hit five anti-tank missiles. The Ukrainian military is on the defensive, returning fire and counterattacking in separate areas.

On the Kupyansk direction, enemy aircraft struck in the area of Petropavlivka. Ukrainian soldiers repelled four attacks, two more are ongoing. Battles took place near Synkivka, Ivanovka, Berestovoy and Stelmakhivka.

In total, since the beginning of the day on May 19, 78 clashes have already occurred on all areas of the front. For comparison, during the whole of Saturday, May 18, there were 110 combat encounters.

Russian offensive in Kharkiv region

On the morning of May 10, Russia launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi said. He emphasized that the Defense Forces knew about the plans of the occupiers in the region and were preparing a counterattack. Later, the General Staff of the Armed Forces reported that the occupiers "wedged themselves into the defense."

On May 16, the General Staff reported that the Defense Forces stopped the advance of the Russian invaders in the Kharkiv region.

In the summary of May 19, the General Staff reported on the absence of active actions in the Kharkiv direction. In the Kupyansk direction, units of Ukrainian troops repelled an attack near Berestovo.