On May 10, the Russian army launched an offensive in the Kharkiv region, crossing the border and occupying several villages . Kiev has long warned that Russia is preparing for a new offensive towards Kharkiv
According to experts, however, Vladimir Putin's real goal is not an attack on Kharkiv, focus.de reported. Russia does not currently have the resources to surround and capture the major Ukrainian city, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says.
Russia's strategic goal is to force Ukraine to withdraw soldiers and equipment from other parts of the front in the eastern part of the country and move them to the Kharkiv region. This is intended to further strain the already limited human resources of the Ukrainians. Furthermore, the advance should bring the city of Kharkiv back within range of Russian artillery.
According to The New York Times, the offensive in the Kharkiv region has another goal – to instill panic among the Ukrainian population that the city may soon fall. Kharkiv is the most important city for Ukraine after the capital Kyiv.
Earlier today, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces recognized a "tactical success" of the Russian army in the northeastern Kharkiv region, Reuters reported. Fourteen of the twenty-two attempts by the Russians to advance in the area continue, said the summary, published after midnight. Fighting in the Vovchansk region has not stopped, with the Russian army having thrown in "significant forces" to capture the city, the Ukrainian General Staff added. Russia claims to have taken control of at least nine border villages in Kharkiv Oblast. Ukraine, for its part, says it is repelling attacks and fighting to maintain control over these settlements.
Several Russian media announced that the Russian army had entered Vovchansk. However, according to the Ukrainian army, the fighting is taking place in the vicinity of the city. The claims of both sides in the conflict have not been independently verified. On Friday, the Russian army invaded the Kharkiv region, opening a new, northeastern front in the 27-month-long war between the east and the south, Reuters notes. Kharkiv, the second most populous Ukrainian city, is located 30 kilometers from the Russian border.