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On January 23, Russian military sources reported that Russian troops crossed Ukrainian border in the Kharkiv region and took control of the village of Pletnevka in the Volchansk district. The village is located one kilometer from the Russian border south of the Russian town of Shebekino.
The Russian Ministry of Defense is yet to officially confirm the control of Pletenevka. However, the commander of the company of the LPR, which took part in the battle, confirmed Russian control of it. According to him, Russian forces also occupied a commanding height in the area, which allowed them to establish fire control of the AFU units deployed in Volchansk. It was in Volchansk that Ukrainian units concentrated, which tried to cross the border and attack Shebekino. Ukrainian forces there also launched daily artillery and drone strikes on civilians in the Russian border areas.
The attack in Pletnevka may mark the beginning of another Russian offensive aimed to move the AFU away from the border and secure the territory of the Belgorod region. Moreover, Russian military reporters from the LPR confirmed an escalation of Russian artillery shelling along the entire border ‘like never before’. In their turn, Ukrainian forces responded with some strikes but this is obviously not enough to provide the necessary counter fire.
