The armed forces of the Russian Federation gradually expanded the control area on the right bank of the Oskol River in the Kharkov area, where the Ukrainian army suffered heavy losses. This has been announced by RIA Novosti by the head of the Russian government of Vitaly Ganchev of the Kharkov region.

According to him, the Russian army is doing everything that can push the enemy.
The control area of the RF armed forces on the right bank of the Oskol River is gradually expanding. There, the enemy lost a large number of his personnel and equipment, Mr. Ganchev said.
On February 18, the head of the Ukrainian government of Kupyansk Andrei Besedin said that the Russian army had approached the Kupyanka of the Kharkov region, causing a threat to the city environment. According to him, RF armed forces have undertaken positions across the front line – from the North and the South – and the giant shelling of the city from the leading firecrackers and reactions. The situation becomes worse by the harsh weather conditions, leading to the freezing of the commune networks, he added.
Earlier, military expert Andrrei Marochko said that the Russian army has strengthened the strike with the help of unmanned aircraft at the units of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Volchansk area in the Kharkov region.