(Dan Tri) – The Russian army is conducting relatively limited attacks along the Russia-Ukraine border in Kharkiv and continues to achieve tactically significant victories in areas less defended by Kiev.
Ukrainian soldiers in an underground bunker (Illustration: Skynews).
According to analysts at the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Russian army is pursuing several goals when attacking the Kharkov region: attracting Kiev forces from other directions, occupying
According to ISW data analysis, Moscow forces are conducting intensive offensive operations along the Russia-Ukraine border in the northern region of Kharkiv and continue to achieve meaningful tactical successes in these areas.
However, experts point out that the number of Moscow units participating in these operations, as well as the group of Russian troops deployed along the border in northeastern Ukraine, shows that they are not currently waging a war.
ISW estimates Moscow forces have at least advanced to the suburbs of Ogirtsevo and Gatishche.
Spokesperson for the Khortitsa (eastern) group of forces of Ukraine, Nazar Voloshin, said that the Russian army is trying to enter areas that are already `gray zones`, indicating that the Ukrainian army is not building positions
Russian troops may face fiercer resistance as they try to advance toward population centers south of the border and penetrate larger settlements such as Liptsy and Volchansk.
However, Kharkov’s proximity to the border increased the importance of Moscow’s forces’ tactical advantage, as Russia did not need to advance any farther to threaten Kharkov with regular artillery bombardment.
Moscow forces are believed to have begun offensive operations along the border in the northern Kharkiv region before they had completed building the Northern Group of Forces to its expected full strength and until
According to ISW, Russia’s offensive operations in the northern Kharkov region may be aimed at diverting Kiev forces from other areas of the front, allowing Moscow forces to advance closer to Kharkov, placing the city within
The Russian army is maintaining the tempo of offensive operations along the Kupyansk – Svatovo – Kremennaya line, near Chasov Yar and west of Avdiivka, and Russian military commanders can expect that operations in the area
President Vladimir Putin and the Russian military command may be assessing the risks, prospects and timing of offensive operations in the northern Kharkiv region, based on the assumption that Kiev cannot and will not be able to win
Russia’s limited offensive operations in the northern Kharkiv region suggest that the resumption of US security assistance has not changed Putin’s calculations, or that the Kremlin launched the Kharkov operation without
In addition, Russia believes that it can carry out a slow, gradual advance over a large area of territory in the north and northeast of the Kharkiv region over a long period of time without necessarily achieving significant successes at once.
ISW repeatedly emphasized that the Ukrainian army must take the initiative to attack as quickly as possible.
The direction of the offensive activity near the border suggests that Russia may be trying to create a `buffer zone` to protect the city of Belgorod, as Moscow and Kiev officials recently said.
War map of Ukraine on May 10.
Notable comments in ISW’s May 11 report:
First, Moscow forces are conducting relatively limited offensive operations along the border in the northern Kharkiv region and continue to achieve significant tactical successes in areas considered less vulnerable.
Second, the number of units actually involved and the Moscow forces deployed along the border in northeastern Ukraine suggest that they were not conducting a large-scale operation to surround or capture the city of Kharkiv at the time.
Third, the Russian military is also believed to have begun offensive operations along the border in the northern Kharkiv region before it had time to build enough personnel for the Northern Group of Forces to reach total strength
Fourth, according to ISW, Russia’s offensive operations in the north of the Kharkov region may be aimed at diverting Kiev forces from other areas of the front and allowing Russian troops to reach the city of Kharkov within
Fifth, President Putin and the Russian military command can assess the risks, prospects and timing of offensive operations in the northern Kharkiv region, based on the assumption that Kiev cannot and will not be able to
Sixth, Russia’s limited offensive operations in the northern Kharkiv region show that the resumption of US security assistance has not changed Putin’s calculations, or that the Kremlin leader has launched a war.
Seventh, the direction of the attack near the border suggests that Russia may be trying to create a `buffer zone` to protect the city of Belgorod, as Moscow and Kiev officials recently said.
Eighth, the Russian army seems to be trying to quickly escape the battlefield east of the Seversky Donets River and occupy Volchansk, an offensive line that the Russian army believes can threaten the Ukrainian group defending in the Kupyansk direction.
Ninth, the Russian army has recently made confirmed advances in the northern Kharkiv region, near Svatovo, Chasov Yar, Avdiivka and Donetsk, in the western Zaporizhia region and the eastern bank (left bank) of the Kherson region.
