MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces could not take control of the towns of Balakleya and Shevchenkovo in the Kharkov Region, Vitaly Ganchev, head of the regional civil-military administration, said on Soloviev Live television channel on Thursday.

"Neither Balakleya nor Shevchenkovo have fallen under the control of Ukraine’s formations. I will tell you more, they launched a massive breakthrough attempt not even towards Shevchenkovo, but towards the town of Kupyansk, but that attempt was thwarted," he specified.

Ganchev pointed out that Ukraine had failed to sow panic by announcing plans for an offensive against the liberated areas of the Kharkov Region.

"We are carrying on with our work as usual," he affirmed.

Earlier, Ganchev reported that Balakleya and the city of Izyum suffered from incessant shelling by Ukrainian troops. He stated that in recent days, the bombardments had intensified in the northern areas of the Kharkov Region, including along the border with Russia.

The forces of the Russian Federation and the Lugansk People’s Republic are in control of some areas in the Kharkov Region, among them are the district administrations in Volchansk, Kupyansk and the settlement of Kozachya Lopan, which are subordinate to the regional civil-military administration. As Ganchev previously reported, 20% of the region’s territory has been liberated.