ISTANBUL: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday visited a front-line command post in his country's northeastern Kharkiv region. 'Kharkiv direction. The forward command post of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in the area of Vovchansk,' Zelenskyy said in a statement on X. Expressing that he congratulated the Special Operations Forces personnel on the occasion of the country's Special Operations Forces Day, Zelenskyy said he also presented state awards during his visit. 'I am grateful for their bravery and heroic operations behind enemy lines, as well as during the defense and de-occupation of our cities and villages,' he added. Zelenskyy later visited the city of Derhachi, located just 16 kilometers (10 miles) northwest from the region's administrative capital. He also held talks with local authorities on the security and energy situation in the region, expressing in a statement on Telegram that the main focus of the meeting was on preparing the city of Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region for the autumn and winter period. Russian forces have been attempting to breach Ukraine's defenses in the Kharkiv region since early May, opening a new front in the over two-year-long conflict that was hitherto concentrated in the country's east and south. Clashes in the region have intensified since then, particularly near Vovchansk, located about 74 kilometers (45 miles) from Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, which has also been targeted by Russian airstrikes. Russia claims to have seized control of multiple border settlements since the start of its offensive on the Kharkiv front, as well as other fronts, including Donetsk and Luhansk. Source: Anadolu Agency