Russian forces control most of the ruins of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast and are attempting to encircle Ukrainian defenders still holding the city's south, Ukraine's Joint Forces communications chief Viktor Trehubov told Ukrainian TV.
Russia pushes to encircle Vovchansk from the east
Trehubov said Russian forces are conducting flank attacks against Ukrainian positions in the south of Vovchansk and pushing toward Vovchanski Khutory, a village east of the city. The goal is to surround Ukrainian troops and force them to withdraw or be trapped in a pocket.
The city, located just 5 km from the Russian border, has been completely destroyed. Trehubov acknowledged that most of Vovchansk's ruins are now under Russian control, but stressed that Ukrainian forces maintain their presence in the south.
Kupiansk and Vovchansk — two very different battles
Trehubov drew a stark contrast between the two active battlefronts in Kharkiv Oblast. In Kupiansk, in the region's east, Russian troops are cut off from their main forces and confined to a handful of buildings, struggling to survive. In Vovchansk, the situation is the opposite: Russian forces benefit from a short supply line directly from the Russian border, giving them far more staying power.
This logistical advantage — what Trehubov called a "short supply shoulder from Russia" — allows Russian forces to sustain prolonged pressure on Ukrainian positions despite the city's total destruction.
Chechen units and motorized brigades press Vovchanski Khutory
ISW's 21 February assessment identified specific Russian units operating near Vovchanski Khutory — the village Trehubov said Russian forces are pushing toward as part of the flanking attempt. Elements of the Chechen Zapad-Akhmat Battalion, the Chechen Kurchaloyevsky Raion MVD department, and the 128th Motorized Rifle Brigade (44th Army Corps, Leningrad Military District) are reportedly active in the area.
Russian forces also attacked on 20-21 February north of Kharkiv City toward Kozacha Lopan and northeast of Kharkiv City near Starytsia, Vovchansk, Vovchanski Khutory, Kruhle, Symynivka, Lyman, and Hrafske.
Russia’s border assault playbook in Kharkiv and Sumy: probe, flank, lose troops, repeat
Moscow's false claim of seizure
The encirclement attempt comes amid an active Russian disinformation push about Vovchansk. On 20 February, Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy, head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operations Directorate, claimed that Russian forces had seized Vovchansk along with 14 other settlements in northern Kharkiv Oblast.
ISW assessed this as part of Moscow's broader cognitive warfare campaign to convince the West that Russian victory is inevitable. ISW collected evidence of Russian forces seizing only seven settlements in northern Kharkiv Oblast — half of what Rudskoy claimed. Across Ukraine overall, ISW found evidence of just 19 settlements and 572 km² seized since the start of 2026, compared to Rudskoy's claim of 42 settlements and 900 km².
