Servicemen of the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces fire an M777 howitzer toward Russian troops near the front line in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, May 1. (Source: Reuters)

Earlier in the day, according to Reuters , the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had taken control of five border villages in Ukraine's Kharkiv province, where Moscow launched an offensive on May 10.

At a press conference, the ministry said Russian forces had taken control of the villages of Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pylna and Strilechna, all located right on the border with Russia's Belgorod province.

In addition, Russian troops also took control of the village of Keramik in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, an area where Moscow has made slow but steady advances in recent months.

Meanwhile, on social network X, German journalist Julian Repke said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) need 250,000 soldiers.

“Kiev needs not only more high-quality weapons, but also at least 250,000 new soldiers to stop the constant retreat,” writes journalist Repke. According to him, the VSU at this stage is facing a difficult situation on the front.

Earlier, journalist Repke noted that the VSU soldiers did not use armored vehicles, hastily withdrawing from the bases through “open fields” and “during the day”.

In another development, on May 11, German newspaper Welt reported that eight European Union (EU) member countries refused to sign bilateral security agreements with Ukraine, including Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Austria and Malta.

Switzerland and Türkiye, which are not EU members, “also do not want to negotiate a security agreement with Kiev,” the newspaper said.

Earlier, it was reported that 27 EU member states had agreed on a document on security guarantees for Ukraine, which involves political, military and economic support for the country. At the present stage, the project is being discussed with Kiev.