During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kharkiv was the site of
heavy fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian forces.
On 27 February, the governor of Kharkiv Oblast Oleh Synyehubov claimed that Russian
troops were repelled from Kharkiv. The battle of Kharkiv was a military
engagement that took place in and around the city of Kharkiv in Ukraine
as part of the Northeastern Ukraine offensive and Eastern Ukraine
offensive during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Kharkiv, located
just 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the Russia–Ukraine border and a
predominately Russian-speaking city, is the second-largest city in
Ukraine and was considered a major target for the Russian military early
in the invasion.
By 13 May, Ukrainian forces pushed back the Russian
units attempting to encircle the city and drove them back to the Russian
border. Additionally, it was reported that Russian forces had decided to
withdraw from the Kharkiv region. The following day, the Institute for
the Study of War reported that: “Ukraine thus appears to have won the
battle of Kharkiv”.