Today's events are deserving of a map update. However, a map update will come tomorrow, as I just got a covid shot, and my arm is a bit too sore to realistically do a map update at this point in time.
Russia launched a new offensive into Kharkiv oblast. Unlike their recent operations in the area, the offensive was not carried out from within Ukraine. It was a cross-border assault, and it met with quite mixed results. Even before Russian troops managed to cross the border, they took heavy casualties as Ukrainian artillery wrecked numerous Russian vehicles. But they pushed ahead at multiple points in Kharkiv oblast, ultimately taking a number of villages. Specifically, Russia is either contesting or has captured four villages north and a little east of the city of Kharkiv; Strilecha, Krasne, Morokhovets, and Pylna. A second angle of attack was opened, against the city of Vovchansk, which once acted as the administrative center of Russia's now defunct government for the occupied portions of Kharkiv oblast (the rump was attached to their administration for Luhansk oblast after Ukraine's 2022 Kharkiv blitz). This thrust was focused on the villages of Pletenivka and Hatyshche.
All that said, Russia has likely captured approximately four villages. All the contested villages are ahead of Ukraine's defensive lines, and Ukraine had little in the way of garrisons in these villages, as the are so close to the border. Russia's offensive has been off to a poor start already, as it was widely telegraphed in advance. Putin himself had threatened to establish a "sanitation" zone in the area in March, to reduce the risk of incursions into Belgorod oblast, and Ukraine has been warning for months that such an offensive was coming. Still, it is was potent enough (with dozens of thousands of troops involved) that Ukraine has rushed reinforcements to the region. Ukraine has also ordered evacuations for many settlements in the region. Furthermore, they have cautioned that approximately a further twenty thousand keep troops may launch an assault on Sumy oblast.
With their attack, Russia has stretched the front line further. Arguably, it is to Ukraine's advantage. Not only do they have interior supply lines, but the front is now a broader arc shape, comparatively giving Ukraine the ability to respond much more proactively than Russia. But it comes while Ukraine is already extremely stretched for resources, particularly manpower. Ukraine feeling the need to send reinforcements to the new Kharkiv front deprived the remainder of the front of Ukrainian troops, which is notable as Russia is trying to break through in Donetsk oblast.
Ultimately, it's too early to tell if Russia's offensive in Kharkiv will pay off, let alone if a hypothetical supporting push in Sumy will. Part of it depends on Russia' goals. Do they want to seize the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's largest after Kyiv? Or do they want to simply distract Ukrainian troops? Perhaps they want to seize cities such as Vovchansk and reestablish their old administration? Simply not enough is known as this point in time to determine if Russia is on track to meet their objectives. But I am confident in saying that Russia's attack is suffering far more than it needs to, as it was effectively made public months in advance. So far, Russia has only managed to take territory in the "gray area", territory that had been outside of Russian control, but that Ukrainian troops couldn't really move into to establish fortifications due to the proximity of the border.
In light of the advance, the United States announced a new military aid package totalling approximately $400 million. As with most other recent packages, it focused heavily on air defense. So included were a sizable number of Bradleys, likely to replace the ones that Ukraine has lost. Funding for an initiative in which Germany is purchasing three Patriots batteries for Ukraine was also announced.