Ukraine‘s forces have said that the Russian military has started to bombard bridges in order to slow down counter-attacks in the northeastern regions, according to a report by CNN. 

On Saturday, the General Staff stated that in the regions of Rusky Tyshky and Tsyrkuny that lie on the east of Kharkiv, “the occupiers blew up three road bridges in order to slow down the counter-offensive actions of the Defense Forces.” However, CNN has been unable to corroborate the claim independently.

A report by Kyiv-based Ukrainian News Agency states that the “invaders blew up three road bridges in order to slow down the counter-attack” in the settlements. 

Over the past two weeks, the Ukrainian military has repossessed control of several villages that lie towards the east and north of the city of Kharkiv. This has weakened Moscow’s retaliative efforts of using artillery and threats of prohibiting Russian supply lines for defenders fighting in Luhansk and Donetsk.

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However, some officials speculate that Russia’s brief slowdown might just be a silent move before it launch yet another set of attacks to fully capture the two regions. 

Kharkiv, which lies near the Russian border, was one of the first Ukrainian cities that went under attack within days of the invasion.

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Meanwhile, miles away from Luhansk and Donetsk, Russian forces have continued shelling the city of Mykolaiv, according to the General Staff. Towards the north, Ukrainians have said that they have ravaged “a warehouse with ammunition and up to 20 units of enemy military equipment.”

As Russia gets closer to ‘Victory Day’, an occasion celebrated to mark the country’s triumph over Nazi Germany, the threat of a formal declaration of war or the complete capture of Mariupol continues to loom over Ukraine.