Frontline fighting: Russia advancing in shock offensive north of Kharkiv | BBC News

Russian forces have been gaining ground in their most significant advance in Ukraine for many months.

Troops crossed the border from Russia, north of Ukraine’s second city of Kharkiv, seizing territory in a surprise new offensive.

It follows months of largely static fighting over defensive positions in the east and south of Ukraine, where Russia has held territory occupied since its invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian forces appear to have been caught by surprise by the opening of the new front north of Kharkiv. Thousands of civilians are fleeing the area. The Russian advance could directly threaten Kharkiv if its forces reach artillery range of the city.

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by James Waterhouse and Jeremy Bowen.

#BBCNews

[darkwa]

It's not a shock to anybody with common sense.

[gayan]

Boris Johnson is going to parachute into the battlefield and save Ukraine.

[mbusonkabinde]

First breakthrough in months? Dude where have you been?

[Peacewar]

It’s only a shock because you been spinning Pro Ukrainian propaganda

[Evemeister]

Never bring US$61 billion to a shovel fight.

[Aaron]

Imagine what BBC used to feed us before other social media 😳

[greathey]

😂 BBC told us last year Russia lost all its army and missiles 😆

[karimnaouli]

You once told us that Ukraine was winning the war 😂

[kostasp]

But but we were told that RuZZia has already lost 90% of its military ???

[NaliniS-yv]

A year ago BBC reported putin died of heart attack 😂😂

[Manu]

First breaktrough in many months?? What about Avdeevka? Ocheretino? Krasnogorovka?? Western press is in full denial

[fresh]

Russian shovels and washing machine chips are becoming a huge problem

[ghulamhussain]

Wish there was BBC reporting from Gaza also like they’re reporting from Ukraine.

[mbithamarifa]

"Russia has already lost the war" Joe Biden in 2022 😂

[silafaupaulmeredith]

They are blessed they are not in Gaza and Russia is more humane

[Abdihafidh-gn]

CNN is telling me Ukraine is winning what happened 😆😆

[creativecolourful]

This is not the defeat of Ukraine this is the defeat of USA and his wife UK.

[juliaweber]

Fighting a larger nuclear neighbor with borrowed weapons 🤡

[KolawoleAdebiyi-gurq]

The fear of shovel and watching machines is the beginning of wisdom

[briancarno]

Blinken: "so what happen to all the millions we gave you to build defences in Kharkiv?" Zelensky: "have you seen the pics of my new beach front house?"