The region of Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, is at the edge of the front line from the southern region of Kherson, which Ukraine announced last week as the focus of a push to retake territory. “Tonight there will be great news from President Zelensky about (the) counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region,” Serhii Leschenko said on Twitter. Trending Stories Several social media posts by military bloggers and witnesses reported fighting around Balaklia, a town of 27,000 located between the cities of Kharkiv and Izium. Story continues below ad Reuters was unable to independently verify the reports. Control of Balakliia could facilitate a Ukrainian effort to encircle or partially encircle the Russian-held city of Izyum, said Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov.
