Ukrainian Forces Stave Off Russian Attacks In Kharkiv, Press With Offensive In South

Ukrainian defenders fought off numerous Russian attacks over the past 24 hours in the eastern region of Kharkiv, where Moscow's troops have been attempting to advance, while Kyiv's forces are continuing their incremental push in the southern region of Zaporizhzhya, the General Staff of the Ukrainian military said in its daily report on July 26. "In the Kupyansk direction [of the Kharkiv region], our soldiers are firmly holding the defense," the military said. "At the same time, Ukrainian forces continue to conduct an offensive operation in the Melitopol and Berdyansk directions [of Zaporizhzhya]," it said, adding that, in total, Ukrainian forces fought 26 close combat battles in the past day. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, click here.