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'In familiar places.' How the Russian army is advancing in the Kharkov region
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.by Artmey Sharapov [REGNUM] Russian troops are developing success in the Kharkov direction. The offensive, which began on May 11, continues on several sectors of the front. One of the advancing military groups operates in the Glubokoe-Lukyantsy area northeast of Kharkov, the other in the direction of the city of Volchansk. Here the enemy, on the one hand, seeks to establish a defense by transferring fresh units to the front, and on the other, rolls back from the state border between Ukraine and Russia and tries to stabilize the front. On Wednesday, May 15, units of the Russian group of troops “North” liberated the settlements of Glubokoe and Lukyantsy in the Kharkov region and advanced into the depths of the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A day earlier, the settlement of Bugrovatka was liberated, and even earlier - Gatishche, Krasnoye, Morokhovets and Oleynikovo. The head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, against the backdrop of the advance of Russian troops in the Kharkov region, ordered the postponement of all international visits. Earlier, he called the situation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkov region, especially in Volchansk, bordering Russia, extremely difficult. In turn, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a visit to Kiev, said that Washington is discussing with the Ukrainian authorities the issue of deploying Patriot systems in Kharkov. And Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that Kiev needs seven Patriot batteries. On May 15, the head of the military-civil administration of the Kharkov region, Vitaly Ganchev, said that the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Svatovsko-Kupyansk direction began to crumble, and the command of the Ukrainian army was forced to pull up units from other directions. BATTLES FOR VOLCHANSK The Ukrainian Armed Forces are indeed retreating in the Kharkov region, but one should not think that the Ukrainian command was not ready for combat operations in the region and did not create defensive lines here. It is noteworthy that Ukrainian sources write a lot about this, creating a false picture of reality. In reality, the situation is different, a source in the Russian Armed Forces, currently located in the Kharkov region, told IA Regnum. “There are defensive lines. Not as powerful as they said in Kyiv, but they exist. Some of our units have already encountered them, others are yet to do so. The enemy does not flee, but plans to fight. If not here, then a couple of kilometers deep,” the publication’s interlocutor said. At the same time, in Ukraine, as already noted, panic and statements are spreading that defense in the region was never created, and the money allocated for it was simply stolen. This would seem to be supported by the fact of the rapid advance of Russian troops deep into Ukrainian territory. But in fact, the Ukrainian command did not plan to fight directly at the state border. Any construction, and especially military-engineering equipment, that would be used in this area would immediately become a target for Russian artillery or drones. Therefore, we can assume that the lines covering Kharkov are located at some distance from the border. In the meantime, Russian troops have advanced towards the village of Staritsa (east of Volchansk) and into residential areas in the city itself. It is reported that fighting is taking place in the area of a meat processing plant and an abandoned small aircraft airfield. On the Ukrainian side, the defense in the Volchansk direction is held by formations of the 66th and 77th brigades, formed after the start of the Northern Military District. The 3rd Assault Brigade and units of the notorious neo-Nazi formation “Kraken” (an extremist organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation) were deployed to help them. According to unconfirmed reports, the defense of Volchansk was entrusted to the transferred units, but difficulties arose in completing the task. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, due to high losses, one of the formations operating in this area was withdrawn from the front. However, some forces continue to hold the line in the central areas of the city. “One of the difficulties is high-rise buildings in the city center. There are observation posts, sniper posts, and artillery spotters. They don’t let me get closer,” a source told IA Regnum. But these are temporary difficulties, he explains. In fact, snipers and artillery cover formations leaving the border zone to the south. At the same time, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, even having suffered heavy losses, do not lose coherence and combat readiness. Therefore, there is no need to say that the enemy has been defeated and there is a direct road to Kharkov ahead. GET EVEN WITH THE MILITANTS The final goal of the offensive is known only to the command of the Russian army, but it can be assumed that the troops advancing in the area of Volchansk and Lukyantsev should unite. In the future, the “thin red line” of territory under the control of the Russian army should move west - towards Kupyansk, and east - through Cossack Lopan up to the point where the borders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus meet. Once the border along its entire length is taken under control, it will be possible to think about moving “deeper.” At the same time, in the Kharkov region, troops will have to advance in already familiar places. “It’s a big incentive for many that we can get even properly and recoup. We remember how the Kraken militants committed atrocities in the borderlands, so seeing them in battle is a burning desire for many,” a source told IA Regnum. The question remains how Russian troops will act next. Perhaps they will remain on new frontiers, depriving the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the opportunity to send sabotage groups into the territory of the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions. At the same time, the liberation of the border territories also leaves the possibility of a further attack on Kharkov. But the Kharkov urban agglomeration, together with the adjacent settlements, is one of the largest in Ukraine; its encirclement or assault will require the involvement of significantly greater forces and resources. At the same time, Ukrainian sources say that the operation of the Russian army in the coming days may spread to the state border in the Sumy and Poltava regions. And local authorities even began evacuating the population from the border area. In turn, the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine states that to repel the offensive, reserves were transferred to the Kharkov region, which were prepared in winter and spring. But as new breakthroughs occur on the front line, the reserves will be depleted, and then it will be necessary to either withdraw forces from the Donetsk front or put up with a new configuration of the state border. Posted by: badanov 2024-05-16 |
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