Russia has opened a new front in Ukraine. There are currently three key battles in the war. This is how the American television channel CNN summarizes what is happening on the front in Ukraine to date.
Russia has opened a new front in Ukraine, launching a surprise offensive in the Kharkiv region and forcing Ukraine to transfer troops from other regions to defend its positions. This is an example of how Russia takes advantage of Ukraine's vulnerabilities - the lack of manpower and artillery, as well as problems with the protection of airspace and defense lines.
As a result of the cross-border attack, the Russians quickly captured several villages. Since then, Russia has stepped up its attacks in the area, trying to take control of the key towns of Volchansk and Liptsi. Liptsi, located about 30 kilometers north of Kharkiv, is under heavy Russian fire. Taking the city would allow Russian troops to deploy artillery within range of Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, which is already suffering from Russian missile attacks. The attack also allows Russia to divert already limited Ukrainian resources from other front lines and create a buffer zone.
The second important point on the map is to the east. The capture of Donbass remains the main goal of the Kremlin. In February, Russian troops achieved significant success on this front, capturing the town of Avdeevka. Since then, Russian troops have steadily advanced west towards Pokrovsk, a vital military center for Ukraine. A few tens of kilometers to the north is the town of Bakhmut, which the Russians captured last spring after a nine-month struggle. Russian troops are now moving west towards Chasov Yar. Gaining control of the heights on which the city is located will bring Putin's troops closer to the strategic city of Kramatorsk.
The third important battle is for Robotine in the Zaporozhye region. To the south, Ukrainian troops are under pressure southeast of Zaporozhye, one of the few areas where they have had success during their counteroffensive. Both Russian “military correspondents” and Ukrainian resource DeepState report a slight advance of Russian troops deeper into Ukrainian territory. The battle for Robotine illustrates the nature of the war in Ukraine – heavy and bloody battles are often fought for abandoned settlements.
Against this background, Kiev continues to call on its Western partners for “full protection of Ukrainian skies”. “Civilian people, infrastructure, energy facilities... This is what Russia is constantly at war with. "Russia's main goal is to turn terror into something normal, to exploit Ukraine's lack of sufficient air defense and to take advantage of the indecision of Ukraine's partners," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The Ukrainian president indicated that only when Putin loses the ability to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure will he be forced to stop his terror.