Russia destroys villages on Kharkiv border, Ukraine withdraws troops

KYIV: Ukraine has withdrawn its troops from several villages on the eastern Kharkiv border after the Russian offensive intensified. Ukraine's military said the move was to protect soldiers and reduce casualties, but would not allow Russian forces to gain a foothold in the region.

Meanwhile, two people were killed in a Russian airstrike in Dnipro city yesterday. The Ukrainian resistance is in crisis as the Russian advance in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions has intensified. Russia's cross-border attack on Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine began last Friday. Russia captured five villages and displaced 8,000 people. Last day, 20 people, including three children, were injured in the Russian missile attack here. Kharkiv is the largest city in Ukraine after the capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has postponed his planned visit to Spain tomorrow in the face of intense clashes. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who visited Ukraine, announced an additional $2 billion military aid package for the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will arrive in China today for a two-day visit. He will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. It will be Putin's first foreign trip since starting his fifth term as president last week.