Seventy per cent of the area of Vovchansk, a city in the northern Kharkiv region, is under Ukrainian control. Electricity imports cannot fully cover the deficit caused by recent Russian strikes, CEO of Ukrenergo says. Vice President Kamala Harris will represent the U.S. at a global peace summit in Switzerland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seventy per cent of the area of Vovchansk, a city in the northern Kharkiv region that has been the target of a fresh Russian offensive, is under Ukrainian control, spokesperson for the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, Lieutenant Colonel Nazar Voloshyn said on television on Sunday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFierce battles are raging inside the city and on its outskirts as Russian forces continue to attempt to advance and consolidate positions by sending in small assault groups,\u201d Voloshyn said. He added that Russian forces are within range of Ukrainian weapons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The number of combat engagements on the Kharkiv axis has decreased, spokesperson for the Kharkiv operational-tactical group of forces, Colonel Yuriy Povkh said in televised comments on Monday. In the past day, Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations, but there were four combat engagements, he added. \u201cThe intensity of fighting has somewhat decreased, but the enemy continues to launch artillery attacks on our positions. In the past day, [Russia] carried out 19 air strikes and 275 artillery attacks,\u201d Povkh said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Russian forces recently marginally advanced southwest of Vovchansk (northeast of Kharkiv City) amid continued fighting north and northeast of Kharkiv City on June 2, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in a report on Sunday. Geolocated footage published on June 2 indicates that Russian forces recently marginally advanced in the fields north and east of Starytsya (southwest of Vovchansk and northeast of Kharkiv City) during a mechanized assault on the settlement. A Russian milblogger claimed that fighting in Vovchansk and near Lyptsi (north of Kharkiv City) is becoming positional, ISW said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, emergency power outages and rolling outages were enacted across Ukraine. This week, the country\u2019s energy system will face a more difficult situation than last week, chief executive officer of Ukrenergo national energy operator, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on Sunday. There are three reasons for that, he said, listing off planned maintenance of two nuclear power plant units, implications of Russian missile and drone strikes on energy facilities on May 31 and June 1, and an increase in energy consumption as a result of higher temperatures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe deficit that we didn\u2019t have for several days this past week, is back to where it was. The deficit is quite large. Electricity imports from the EU are not enough to cover consumption,\u201d Kudrytskyi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vice President Kamala Harris and head of the White House National Security Council, Jake Sullivan will represent the U.S. during the two-day event in Switzerland starting June 15, the White House said in a statement Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Vice President \u201cwill underscore the Biden-Harris Administration\u2019s commitment to supporting Ukraine\u2019s effort to secure a just and lasting peace, based on Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter. The Vice President will reaffirm support for the people of Ukraine as they defend themselves against ongoing Russian aggression. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will join the Vice President in representing the United States at the Summit,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n