| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| The wind is from the north. The Russian army is advancing in the Kharkov region |
| 2024-05-13 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Mikhail Zakharov [REGNUM] The “North” group of the Russian army is developing an offensive in the Kharkov direction, occupying populated areas and hitting the personnel and equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Meanwhile, Kyiv is looking for reserves, trying to strengthen the front defense. On the morning of Friday, May 10, it became known about a sharp increase in artillery and missile attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces targets in the Kharkov region. According to military correspondents, Ukrainian formations and their infrastructure in the settlements of Goptovka, Krasnoe, Pylnaya, Strelechya, Volchansk and Borisovka were targeted. “All night there were heavy attacks on Ukrainian Armed Forces installations and Ukrainian Wehrmacht positions in the border areas. They beat me noticeably harder than usual,” military correspondent Yuri Kotenok wrote in his Telegram channel. Russian troops also actively used Lancet kamikaze drones, and the Aerospace Forces aircraft launched strikes with guided bombs and high-precision missiles. It is reported that after heavy fire preparation, limited offensive operations began in order to create a buffer zone on the border. The head of the administration of the Kharkov region, Vitaly Ganchev, noted in his Telegram channel that “ there are battles on several sections of the contact line, including in the border areas of the Kharkov region ” According to military correspondent Alexander Kots, the Russian Armed Forces carried out “ hard combat work ” in that direction. At the same time, Kots warns against misrepresentation: one should not expect the lightning-fast liberation of populated areas and the rapid movement of our troops towards Kharkov. “THE ENEMY IS DRAGGING RESERVES FROM KHARKOV” On Saturday, May 11, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that units of the North group of forces, as a result of offensive actions, liberated the settlements of Borisovka, Ogurtsovo, Pletenevka, Pylnaya and Strecheya in the Kharkov region. Our troops defeated the manpower and equipment of a number of Ukrainian formations in the areas of Volchansk, Vesyoly, Glubokoye, Neskuchny and Krasny in the Kharkov region, and enemy losses per day amounted to up to 170 military personnel, three armored combat vehicles and four vehicles. “In addition, the following were destroyed: a Vampire multiple launch rocket system combat vehicle made in the Czech Republic, a 155-mm Caesar self-propelled artillery mount made in France, a 155-mm Bogdan self-propelled artillery mount, four 152-mm D-20 howitzers, a 122-mm D howitzer -30 and two self-propelled firing installations of the Buk anti-aircraft missile system,” the Ministry of Defense commented. The Russian army is building on its success: our troops have reached the outskirts of the city of Volchansk, located seven kilometers from the border. The Telegram channel “Military Chronicle,” with reference to unconfirmed data, writes that the forces of the “North” group “ are actively breaking through the fortified areas near Volchansk and are actually standing on the threshold of the city.” The enemy, in turn, also notes the intensification of hostilities in this direction. The head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, confirmed the offensive of the Russian army in the Kharkov region, saying that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready for this. At the same time, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense previously reported that reserve units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had been deployed towards Volchansk - without specifying their number and composition. “The enemy is dragging reserves from Kharkov, trying to hinder our offensive,” writes the “Older Edda” Telegram channel. The authorities of Volchansk began evacuating residents of this and neighboring settlements in the Kharkov region. According to the head of the local military administration, all the children were taken out of Volchansk. The advance of the Russian army was confirmed in the West. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes that our troops "have achieved tactically significant successes." In turn, White House National Security Advisor John Kirby said that “the Russians are preparing for a larger attack on Kharkov.” BORDER SECURITY AND KEEPING THE ENEMY AT BAY Now the Russian army is conducting an operation in the Kharkov region to protect and ensure the security of the Russian border, military expert, associate professor of the department of political analysis and socio-psychological processes of the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics Oleg Glazunov told IA Regnum. According to him, the operation is local in nature and is aimed at protecting the border. Its goal is to prevent further shelling of peaceful cities and villages by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Therefore, the border areas are cleared of Ukrainian formations. Back in June 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia would have to consider creating a sanitary zone in Ukraine due to shelling of our territories. After winning the presidential elections, the head of state again touched upon this topic. “To create a security zone, which will be quite difficult to overcome, using the weapons that the enemy uses, primarily, of course, foreign-made,” explained Vladimir Putin. A sanitary zone should be created not only for the Belgorod region, but also for other regions suffering from shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, says military expert Vasily Dandykin : for example, in the Sumy and Chernigov regions. Another, no less important task is to divert the enemy’s attention, force him to transfer forces from the area of the city of Chasov Yar to the Donetsk direction, where fierce fighting is taking place. “And although Syrsky [Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. — Approx. ed.] says that, in general, we will hold the defense, we have enough strength for everything, but we’ll wait and see. In my opinion, he may be wrong again,” Dandykin told IA Regnum. Russian troops have enough forces and means to attack in different directions, pulling apart enemy forces, believes military expert, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts Andrei Klintsevich. “Ukraine is forced to transfer reserves from one place to another because they do not have enough strength. It is on these rotations, on these transfers that we catch them now and strike them,” Klintsevich said in a conversation with IA Regnum. The expert compared the state of affairs at the front to a duel with swords: a thrust is made, the enemy tries to counterattack, his action is reflected - and he receives a new blow. “In this situation, counterattacks and movements of enemy forces and assets are very beneficial for us,” said Andrei Klintsevich. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #1 No reserves. Constant grind. No relief. Transfers from one front to another. Aggressive attrition has worked well for the Russians. |
| Posted by: Dale 2024-05-13 03:38 |