four towns between kharkiv and the russian border is important, ukrainian counteroffensive had been trying to push the russian artillery that s been pounding kharkiv the past couple of months further from the city. ukraine, second city trying to better protect its civilian populations that have taken a hammering last few weeks. but also about more than that, crucial supply routes between russia and their forces to the south across the ukrainian border, and of course, wars are also about things like momentum and morale. fact they ve been able to take these towns again between kharkiv and border could prove crucial to that regard. within the contest of the past days mariupol in the hands of russian forces, and strikes across odesa, a hint of what they may be hoping for next.
chancellor also went to bucha is moscow continues to deny responsibility for what happened in bucha, deny the numbers of that have died in bucha and the atrocities. took that view, and vladimir putin still with this rhetoric from the russian president. talk to me also about these attacks hearing overnight happening in kharkiv. reporter: that s right the russians pounding kharkiv about three or four days now relentlessly and remember kharkiv is only 30 miles from the russian border and we just heard today from ukrainian officials that three villages surrounding kharkiv that were in russian hands pretty much from the beginning of this war are now back in ukrainian hands and that s probably one of the reasons, one of the many reasons they continue to shell that city relentlessly there.