Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that he expects Russia to escalate its attack in the northeast, warning that Kiev only has a fourth of the air defenses required to maintain the front line.

This week, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian Armed Forces managed to take control of another 4 villages across the Kharkiv region in only 24 hours.

"The units of the Sever Group of Forces advanced deep into the enemy's defensive and liberated the settlements of Gatishche, Krasnoye, Morokhovets and Oleynikovo in the Kharkiv region," the ministry said.

On Friday, Russian air defenses and the Black Sea fleet intercepted a total of 102 Ukrainian drones and destroyed six unnamed surface vehicles (USVs) overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday. 

The Guardian, citing sources familiar with the matter, said that UK intelligence services had provided advance warning to Kiev about a potential Russian advance in the region. However, Ukrainian forces reportedly failed to adequately prepare for the situation.

The lack of readiness on the part of Ukrainian military units stationed in the Kharkiv region has been a cause for concern. A Ukrainian veteran noted that these units were "simply not prepared to fight."

Read more: Ukraine sounds alarm: Full mobilization warning issued to citizens

Zelensky stated that Russian soldiers pushed five to ten kilometers (3-6 miles) along the north-eastern border before being stopped by Ukrainian forces but noted that the fighting in the region might be the "first wave" of a larger operation.

Although he refused to admit the success of Russia, he expressed the battle was "controlled" but not "stabilized", citing the necessity to "be sober and understand that they are going deeper into our territory” during an interview for AFP.

He reiterated his plea for more air defenses to Western allies, divulging Ukraine only had "25% of what we need," adding that 120 to 130 F-16s were needed to be at par with Russian air superiority. 

Zelensky admitted staffing and "morale" concerns among Ukraine's frequently outgunned and outmanned troops, adding that the reserves needed to be staffed as a "large number of brigades were empty."

Zelensky claimed that Ukraine was still committed to the war in the long term, accusing Western supporters of wanting a quick resolution to the war. 

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“The West wants the war to end. Period. As soon as possible. And, for them, this is a fair peace,” he explained.

“We are in a nonsense situation," he argued, where the West does not "want Ukraine to lose."

Ukrainian troop casualties reach 3,725 in week-long DPR conflict

On Friday, Russia's Defense Ministry declared a victory for the South Group of Forces, Yug, over Ukrainian troops in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), with Ukraine sustaining an estimated loss of 3,725 soldiers in the region during the previous week.

According to the ministry's statement, Yug forces continued their advance into enemy territory, defeating both manpower and equipment in the DPR and repelling nine counterattacks by Ukrainian troops.

"The units of the Yug Group of Forces continued to advance into the enemy territory during active combat operations, defeated manpower and equipment ... in the Donetsk People's Republic ... repelled nine counterattack [by Ukrainian troops]," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the losses of Ukrainian armed forces "lost up to 3,725 servicepeople over the past week."

Des LRM #Grad du groupement Sud russe ont frappé un point d’appui ukrainien à 12 km de distance

Selon la Défense russe, les lance-roquettes multiples ont aussi visé une concentration d’effectifs ukrainiens avec des projectiles à fragmentation de 122 mm.

📍 Axe de Donetsk pic.twitter.com/mevWvoiAJL

— Sputnik Afrique (@sputnik_afrique) May 17, 2024

In other significant developments, Russia's central forces fortified their position, resulting in Kiev's loss of approximately 2,475 soldiers and four tanks, including Abrams.

The eastern group of forces successfully repelled two counterattacks, leading to Ukraine's loss of around 965 soldiers.

Moreover, in the northern region, Russia thwarted 21 counterattacks in the Kharkiv area, resulting in the loss of up to 1,175 Ukrainian soldiers.

Meanwhile, the Western grouping repelled 37 counterattacks in the Lugansk People's Republic and Kharkiv region, leading to Kiev's loss of up to 960 soldiers.

In a separate statement, the ministry reported that the Russian Armed Forces carried out 28 group strikes using precision-guided weapons and drones during the past week in Ukraine.

These strikes targeted command posts, military airfield infrastructure, air defense facilities, arsenals, and fuel bases of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as production workshops and storage sites for unmanned boats and attack drones.

Moreover, the Russian Black Sea fleet destroyed 25 Ukrainian unmanned vessels.