MOSCOW, May 21. /TASS/. Russian troops are gradually leveling out the frontline in the Kharkov area and have liberated 40% of Volchansk, Vitaly Ganchev, head of the regional military-civilian administration, said on Tuesday.

"Our guys are controlling about 40% of the town and have wedged quite deep into the enemy’s defense and driven it out as much as they could from all lines, those that were in Volchansk and secured their positons, we can say. The basic part of the town’s northern part has been fully liberated," Ganchev said during a live broadcast on Russia’s Television Channel One.

Volchansk is strategically important and that it why the Ukrainian army is bringing in "very serious forces" and "trying to counterattack," he added.

The Ukrainian military is deploying reserves from "all areas it can draw" them, including the Kupyansk direction, Ganchev said.

"Besides, available information indicates that they were deploying reserves from the southern direction, that is, from Kramatorsk, moving in a column. According to our information, there is quite a large amount of Western equipment, and also manpower," he said.