Russian forces are infiltrating Kharkiv Oblast and operating in Kozacha Lopan, 2 km from border – UP

Russian forces are using infiltration tactics to cross into Kharkiv Oblast and advance towards the village of Kozacha Lopan, around 2 km from the Russian border. Ukrainska Pravda has information that Russian troops have been operating inside the settlement for at least a week.

Source: Ukraine's Joint Forces grouping in a response to a query from Ukrainska Pravda; two military sources on the South Slobozhanshchyna front; Viacheslav Zadorenko, Head of Derhachi City Military Administration, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Details: In response to a query from Ukrainska Pravda, the Joint Forces grouping said: "The enemy is attempting assault operations towards Kozacha Lopan after making a tactical incursion across the state border near the settlement of Hraniv. The defence forces are recording active attempts by Russian units to cross the border and infiltrate Kozacha Lopan."

Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for the Joint Forces, told Ukrainska Pravda that fighting is currently taking place in the area between the villages of Hraniv and Kozacha Lopan.

"They've infiltrated Kozacha Lopan, but it's difficult to say how many of them there are," one military source said. "Our FPV drone units are actively targeting them. It all started after we lost Veterynarne [a village on the border north of Kozacha Lopan]. The previous brigade commander was fired for that a couple of months ago."

Viacheslav Zadorenko, Head of Derhachi City Military Administration, said Russia has achieved limited gains over the past two to three months in several settlements that are administratively part of Kozacha Lopan – Veterynarne, Hraniv and Shevchenko.

"According to information from our military, there are indeed small groups of Russian soldiers who change into civilian clothes and enter the streets closest to the state border in areas that form part of Kozacha Lopan... At present, there are still more than 100 civilians in the settlement," Zadorenko said.

The Joint Forces grouping said it believes Russian forces are attempting to "expand their offensive or achieve a breakthrough in this area".

Asked by Ukrainska Pravda what measures are being taken to thwart a potential advance, the Joint Forces grouping said it is "reinforcing troop groupings in the areas under threat, building new engineering barriers and fortifications, actively employing firepower, and conducting counter-sabotage operations".

Why this matters: Veterynarne and Hraniv are the fifth and sixth locations of reported Russian infiltration in Kharkiv Oblast according to the interactive map of hostilities produced by DeepState, a Ukrainian group of military analysts.

Since the beginning of 2026, as previously reported by Ukrainska Pravda, the Russians have been increasingly using infiltration tactics in the border villages of Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts to create a 20-km "buffer zone", which actually functions as a zone of tactical fire advantage rather than a buffer. This strategy keeps the Ukrainian units deployed along the border under constant pressure and stretches the front line. Civilians who remain in border towns and villages have been badly affected.

Background: On 23 June, State Border Guard Service spokesperson Colonel Andrii Demchenko said Russian occupation forces were attempting almost daily assaults on Ukrainian border guard positions near Vovchanski Khutory in Kharkiv Oblast, but had made no progress.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon to help us keep reporting!