In an effort to take advantage of Kyiv's lack of resources, Russian ground troops launched a fresh offensive to advance into the northeast Kharkiv area of Ukraine.
Russian forces launched a heavy assault on the Kharkiv region in the northeastern part of Ukraine, despite Kyiv's troops already outnumbered and losing ground across other sections of the front line. Kyiv dispatched reinforcements on Friday to safeguard its border and liberated territory.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence released a statement stating that the assault started around five o'clock on Friday morning. Severe aerial bombardment and shelling followed, after which armoured columns attempted to break through at various sites along the border.
The ministry released a statement stating, "As of this moment, these attacks have been unsuccessful." However, it seemed as though Russia's assault was continuing, as residents of certain regions reported experiencing some of the most intense shelling they have seen since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022. Furthermore, evaluating the entire state of the eastern front battlefield or verifying the ministry's assertion proved impossible.
Oleh Synyehubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv, made a statement stating that about two thousand people had left the area.
Despite the fact that the scope and purpose of Russia's offensive were not immediately clear, Ukrainian and Western officials have been warning for months that they expected Moscow to order major attacks late this spring and into the summer. The capitalization of Ukrainian shortages of weapons and soldiers, primarily caused by delays in the arrival of Western assistance, particularly from the United States, is part of this strategy.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said that it had gained control of the villages of Borysivka, Ogurtsovo, Pletenivka, Pyl'na, and Strilecha in the Kharkiv region, as well as the hamlet of Keramik in the Ocheretyne sector of the Donetsk region. Mikhail Zvinchuk, a popular Russian military blogger, said that Russian troops had advanced around one mile in the Kharkiv area during the previous twenty-four hours of the conflict. A third party was unable to independently verify the accusation.
Russian and pro-Kremlin military bloggers made additional claims that they forced Ukrainian troops to retreat from frontal positions in Chasiv Yar, in the Donetsk region, to locations deeper into the city.
Russian military-affiliated bloggers posted images of groups of six to eight captured Ukrainian troops. It was not possible to verify the assertions at the moment.
According to a Ukrainian defense officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate military situation, Russia's objective in the Kharkiv area may be to establish a buffer zone around six miles deep into Ukraine in order to restrict Kyiv's capacity to shell Russian settlements that are located over the border.
The Belgorod region of Russia, which has seen numerous assaults, is close to Kharkiv. As a result, it is one of the few regions in Russia where citizens are experiencing the direct and ongoing effects of a conflict that has resulted in the destruction of Ukrainian cities and the displacement of millions of Ukrainians.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House's national security, said on Friday that "we have been anticipating that Russia would launch an offensive against Kharkiv, which appears now to have begun." We have been working closely with Ukraine with the goal of assisting them in their preparations. At this moment, we have determined that Russia has increased the number of fires occurring over the border and has begun incursions.
According to Kirby, "Russia will most likely increase the intensity of fires and commit additional troops" in order to build the buffer zone. He also said that "it is possible that Russia will make further advances in the coming weeks, but we do not anticipate any major breakthroughs."
However, Kirby conceded that Russia may also be laying the groundwork for a more extensive attack on the city of Kharkiv, which was the second-biggest city in Ukraine before Russia's invasion more than two years ago.
Throughout the conflict, Kharkiv, located approximately 25 miles from the Russian border, has endured intense bombardment; however, in recent months, Russian attacks have escalated with the aim of targeting the city's electrical and communications infrastructure.
An unexpected and swift Ukrainian counteroffensive in September 2022 forced Russian soldiers out of most of the Kharkiv area. This allowed the city to return to some degree of normality since it was no longer within the Russians' artillery range. On the other hand, ongoing missile assaults forced schools to establish classrooms inside tube stations. Terrorist attacks have often resulted in the deaths of residents in apartment complexes, hotels, and other civilian structures.
Ukraine has had to remove its soldiers from several communities in the area it had previously liberated over the past few months.
"The fact that they now appear to be setting themselves up to, at the very least, use long-range fires to try to range into Kharkiv is very interesting and certainly concerning," said Kirby. "It is very concerning that they are doing this." In addition, it is reasonable to assume that you are not planning to carry out such an action if you are not also considering carrying out some other more significant attack directly on the city.
This year, Russia recovered the initiative on the battlefield with successes in the eastern Donetsk area, notably the seizure of the long-embattled city of Avdiivka, where Ukrainian troops suffered terrible losses when they retreated in February. This occurred at a time when Congress was unable to go on with its decision to provide military support to Ukraine.
Since then, the Russians have launched a two-pronged attack: first, they launched an assault northwest of Avdiivka, and then they launched a second assault on the town of Chasiv Yar, which is currently under siege, near Bakhmut, a city that Russia devastated by war and took a year ago. The Russians have advanced in every direction, encircling numerous cities and villages in their path.
As Russia repeatedly punished Ukrainian soldiers with half-tonne bombs dropped by aircraft, Ukraine's commander in chief, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrsky, has admitted the "worsened" situation and posted gloomy updates on social media. This comes as Russia continues to punish Ukrainian forces with bombs.
It is anticipated that Kyiv will get an increase in artillery ammunition now that the around $61 billion assistance package has been authorised by Congress. The aim of this augmentation is to counterbalance Russia's previously significant shooting advantage over Ukraine.
Despite this, experts and Ukrainian military officers deployed in the field have stated that a shortage of soldiers, especially infantry, is currently the most significant issue. The Ukrainian government recently passed legislation to expand the eligibility requirements for drafting, but the law won't take effect for another week. According to the authorities, it will take several months longer to train the new conscripts and bring them to the front lines.
Russia's next attack is likely to exploit this vulnerability, straining the limited troops of the Ukrainian government even further beyond their capabilities. Moscow might do this to accelerate its current progress in the eastern Donetsk area.
"Russian troops attempted to expand operations against Ukraine today," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in a Friday-released video speech.
Zelensky made the following statement: "We understand the scope of the occupier's forces, and we see his plan." We are increasing the number of our soldiers in Kharkiv directions. And along the line of our state boundary, as well as throughout the whole front line, we will inevitably annihilate the occupier in such a manner that will prevent any aggressive Russian plans from occurring.
Serhii Korolchuk and Anastacia Galouchka in Kyiv, Karen DeYoung in Washington, Robyn Dixon in London, and Natalia Abbakumova in Riga, Latvia contributed to the compilation of this article.
