“Better results” near Kharkiv
According to Zelenskyj, Ukraine is successfully defending itself on the third front
May 13, 2024, 8:55 p.m
The new Russian offensive with tens of thousands of fighters in the Kharkiv region is causing great concern. However, according to Ukrainian President Zelensky, the defenders are now achieving increasingly better results. The Security Council says that Russia probably wants to set up a buffer zone.
Despite the difficult situation in the north of Ukraine due to the new Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian President Zelensky speaks in a video speech of “ever better results. We are destroying the enemy’s infantry and armored vehicles.” The troops in the area have been increased, said Zelensky. The responsible brigadier general, Mykhailo Drapatyi, will be provided with all the necessary weapons and forces.
Meanwhile, the new secretary of the National Security Council does not fear a ground offensive on the city of Kharkiv. “We can say that we see no threat of an attack on the city of Kharkiv,” Oleksandr Lytvynenko said. In his assessment, the offensive is probably aimed at creating a “buffer zone” to prevent Ukrainian attacks on Russian border regions.
Other observers such as the Institute for War Studies (ISW) also believe it is possible that by opening the new front, Russia is aiming for Ukraine to relocate troops that are then missing elsewhere. In the east of the country, Kremlin forces continue to fiercely try to fully capture the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Zelensky said that the necessary support for the Kharkiv region would not be withdrawn from Donetsk, and especially from Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk.
According to Ukrainian information, the Russian army launched its offensive in the Kharkiv region from Russia on Friday and tried to advance towards the town of Lypzi and the city of Vovchansk. Lytvynenko said “quite a few” Russian soldiers were involved in the offensive. “About 50,000 were at the border. Now well over 30,000 are coming,” he said. According to Ukrainian information, they had noticed the massing of troops in the border area and were therefore expecting an attack.
The Ukrainian General Staff acknowledged “tactical successes” by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubow said more than 30 towns in the region had been hit by “enemy artillery and mortar fire.” Fierce fighting was reported particularly in the city of Vovchansk, which is located on the Russian border. Russia, for its part, reported the capture of several villages at the weekend.
Shortly after the offensive in Kharkiv began, Russian President Vladimir Putin fired his long-time Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Sunday and replaced him with economic expert Andrei Beloussov.
Lytvynenko said Beloussov was an “experienced manager” capable of “ensuring a long-term war of attrition” and had good connections with Russian intelligence. “This suggests that Putin is planning a long war,” Lytvynenko said. “And not just a war with Ukraine, but with the West as a whole. A war with NATO,” he added.