[14] Russian forces quickly captured Vovchansk, before continuing south to Balakliia, Izium, and Shevchenkove in an effort to attack Kharkiv from the north and east.

[19][20] Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov repeatedly threatened to attack Kharkiv Oblast and establish a buffer zone to protect Russia's border in response.

[28] According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian forces shelled positions with guided bombs in the direction of Vovchansk during the day and added artillery fire at night.

[29] Up to 4–5 Russian infantry battalions from a newly created force[30] crossed the state border, reportedly capturing the villages of Krasne, Borysivka, Strilecha, and Pylna.

[38] According to DeepStateMap.Live analysts, citing confidential sources, Russian forces had occupied the village of Pylna several days before 10 May, but poor communication within the Ukrainian military had prevented any action from being taken.

[47] Ukraine's 42nd Mechanized Brigade published footage of its "Perun" unit destroying four Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicles in the area of Pylna using combat drones, claiming to have inflicted several casualties.

Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman of Ukraine's Khortytsia operational-strategic group, claimed that the Russians were contained in the "gray zone" and that the offensive had effectively been repelled.

[72] Russian president Vladimir Putin made for the first time statements regarding the new offensive, claiming Russia's current plan is the creation of a "buffer zone" in order to stop Ukrainian shelling of Belgorod and to protect the border areas.

[73] Zelenskyy acknowledged that Russian forces had advanced by as much as ten kilometers into Kharkiv Oblast, but claimed that they were being held back by primary Ukrainian defensive lines.

[84][85] Ukrainian forces recaptured "marginal territory" southeast of Lukiantsi while Russian sources reported that Ukraine launched counter-attacks on Lyptsi and Hlyboke.

[86] Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Russian forces switched to an "active defense" in the Lyptsi direction, and were no longer performing offensive actions there.

[98] The Liut Brigade were reported to be conducting "door-to-door mop-up operations" in order to prevent Russian forces from gaining a foothold in other sections of Vovchansk.

[102] Additionally Russian sources were claiming Ukraine was performing a counterattack in northern and central Vovchansk and in the forest areas between Hlyboke and Lukiantsi.

[103] Ukrainian "Kharkiv" Group of Forces Spokesmen Yuryi Povkh also noted a general decrease in Russian offensive efforts to "no more than a few motorized rifle units.

[120] David Axe claimed that attempts by Russia to advance into southern Vovchansk had failed and that as many as 400 Russians had been encircled by Ukrainian troops in and around a chemical plant in the city, with 30 of them having surrendered.

[133] Meanwhile, geolocated footage showed Ukrainian artillery destroy a platoon sized Russian armored column that failed to advance on Hlyboke, the first platoon-sized assault since mid-May.

[135] Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov reported that a battalion-sized force of the Russian 7th Motorized Rifle Regiment was destroyed near Lyptsi sometime in late June.

[137] The ISW assessed that Russian forces had advanced into central Vovchansk three days prior and had crossed the Vovcha River, capturing the southern tip of the northern portion of the city in the process.

[141] Russian forces reportedly conducted a limited and unsuccessful cross-border raid into Sumy Oblast, failing to break through to Chuikivka, Rozhkovychi, and Sytne.

[148] The ISW assessed that it was "likely" Russian forces no longer held positions south of the Vovcha River within Vovchansk amidst a Ukrainian counterattack.

[175] Ukrainian Colonel Vitaliy Sarantsev reported that Russian forces are digging tunnels and underground passageways between buildings in Vovchansk to conceal troop movements.

[194] Geolocation records indicate that Russian forces recently advanced slightly onto Zernova Street in northern Vovchansk and progressed along the road in southern Tykhe.

[199] Noting a small buildup of Russian forces near Sumy Oblast, Kiev warned that the current operation may be a precursor to a larger summer offensive.

[198] In a Reuters article, Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Black Bird Group, also assessed that the Kharkiv push aimed to deplete limited Ukrainian reserves before a main offensive.

"[198] In a lighter tone, David Axe, a military correspondent for Forbes, suggested that the offensive might be "an elaborate feint" whose main goal was to pull Ukrainian resources away from Chasiv Yar and the area of Avdiivka.

[135] Milbloggers conclude that this is the result of the poor leadership and tactical skills of Colonel General Alexander Lapin, commander of the Russian Northern Grouping of Forces.

[208][209][210] On 10 July, Ukraine's Kharkiv OTP group made an estimate claiming that out of 10,350 Russian troops deployed, 2,939 soldiers had been killed and 6,509 had been wounded in action, losses of approximately 91%.

[212][213] As of 21 June, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Ukraine suffered 9,845 losses, including killed and wounded, in at least 9 brigades in the Kharkiv direction since the start of the offensive.

[218] Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko claimed on 16 May that a resident of Vovchansk had been killed by Russian soldiers after refusing to obey their orders and attempting to escape on foot.

[219] A video shot by aerial reconnaissance over Vovchansk showed the body of a dead civilian man in a wheelchair in the middle of a road near a local hospital that had been occupied by Russian forces.