Russia records victories in areas close to Kharkiv.
Russia is ramping up its offensive in the Kharkiv region, resulting in Ukraine admitting it's losing ground. Russian forces have made gains, with officials confirming their presence near the border. The city of millions is in the crosshairs.
Ukrainian military leaders acknowledge that Russia is making progress in the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian General Staff told Facebook, "The enemy is currently recording tactical successes." Battles raged, especially in the city of Vovchansk, situated at the border. The General Staff revealed that Moscow has mustered "as many as five battalions."
The governor of the Kharkiv region, Oleh Synehubov, shared that border regions are under continuous Russian artillery fire. He stressed that the entire border area in Kharkiv is seeing continuous bombardments. So far, over 4,000 people have been relocated from areas near the border, Synegubov reported in online media.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi mentioned "intense battles" in the Kharkiv region over the weekend. The purpose of these attacks, Zelenskyi suggested, was "to disperse our forces and weaken resolve." Ukrainian military reported Russia had launched a ground assault in the Kharkiv region on Friday, coasting on heavily armed vehicles.
Not yet targeting Kharkiv city
A few days ago, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken predicted that Ukrainian forces would maintain their positions near Kharkiv in an interview with CBS. Ukraine would resist Russian aggression in other areas as well. The US would continue to support Ukraine, while over 50 other countries would remain steadfast, Blinken concluded.
Various military analysts, both Ukrainian and Russian and abroad, have observed that the Russian advance isn't targeting Kharkiv City yet. ISW, an American think tank, mentioned "limited operational goals" in a recent report. These attacks are pushing Ukrainian troops away from the border to make Kharkiv contemplatable for Russian artillery and cannons' range.
The strategic goal aims to force Ukrainians to pull their soldiers and supplies from hard-pressed areas on the eastern front. "The limited deployment does not suggest that Russian forces are preparing a large-scale offensive operation to encircle or conquer Kharkiv," claimed ISW. The Russians had infiltrated Kharkiv earlier in the aggression last year but eventually surrendered.
Caption: Explosive damage inflicted by a shell in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Russian forces entered Kharkiv at the outset of the invasion in spring 2022 but withdrew. Caption: A destroyed house in Bucha, a region near Kharkiv, Ukraine.
Soldiers pull back from the front line. Caption: A soldier walking past a damaged building in a Ukrainian city.
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Despite Russia's advancement near Kharkiv, the city itself remains untouched so far. This was predicted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who suggested that Ukrainian forces would maintain their positions around the city. The Russian strategy appears to be pushing Ukrainian troops away from the border to make Kharkiv more accessible for their artillery and cannons' range, as suggested by military analysts. [Russia's Attack on Ukraine continues in other regions] The limited deployment of Russian forces does not indicate a large-scale offensive operation to capture Kharkiv, as stated by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Source: www.ntv.de
