Ukraine soldiers pull back in Kharkiv after Russia offensive

KHARKIV, May 15 (BBC): Ukraine has pulled back its troops from several villages in the border region of Kharkiv following continued pressure from Russian forces. Soldiers had come under heavy fire and moved to "more advantageous positions" in two areas of the north-eastern region, a military spokesman said.
Throughout the course of the two-year war, Ukraine has typically used this type of language to signify a retreat. President Volodymyr Zelensky has cancelled all upcoming foreign trips as troops struggle to contain the new cross-border incursion, with several towns and villages coming under heavy fire.
His press secretary, Sergiy Nykyforov, said the president had "instructed that all international events scheduled for the coming days be postponed and new dates coordinated".
Moscow has claimed its forces have now taken control of two more settlements in the region - Lukyantski and Hlyboke - and the village of Robotyne, in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukraine has not commented on these claims yet. Robotyne was one of only a handful of settlements Kyiv retook in its summer counter-offensive last year.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian military said in a statement that the decision to move troops from the Lukyantsi and Vovchansk areas was taken to "preserve the lives of our servicemen and avoid losses".
The capture of Vovchansk, though not of specific militarily significance, would represent a blow to Ukrainian morale. The military spokesman said that the situation "remains difficult" but insisted that its forces were "not allowing the Russian occupiers to gain a foothold".
Ukraine's head of intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, had earlier said troops had stabilised the front line. Thousands of civilians have fled west in recent days towards Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv - including from the town of Vovchansk, located 74km (45 miles) away.