Russia building up forces near Kharkiv region border — Ukrainian military

Andrii Pomahaibus, chief of staff of the 13th Khartia Operational Brigade, told Suspilne.

“The Russians are trying to pull their personnel closer to the combat line and conduct at least some assault operations. In general, they are not succeeding. We need to have surveillance on all the most dangerous directions of approach to our front line. There is an accumulation of personnel closer to the state border, which means there are attempts to pull personnel, obviously preparing for active Russian assaults,” he said, adding that Ukrainians are ready to repel the attacks.

Pomahaibus explained that Russian troops usually use a combined approach to movement: artillery, drones, and heavy equipment.

“At the same time, they are deploying infantry: diverting attention in one direction while advancing in another,” he added.

The chief of staff also noted that the flight range of Russian fiber-optic drones can reach 15 to 30 kilometers.

“The main buildup on their side is drones with fiber-optic cables. This is a very painful issue. We are taking countermeasures. The main advantage of these drones is that we cannot detect or suppress them with electronic warfare systems. However, there are still ways to counter these drones,” Pomahaibus concluded.

• On May 20, a spokesman for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, Andriy Demchenko, reported that Russian forces are attacking border guard positions almost daily.