Russia changes Kharkov attack plan, surprising Ukraine

The British newspaper The Economist reported that the Russian Armed Forces initially identified two directions of attack in the Kharkiv region for May 15 and 16, but unexpectedly attacked other positions earlier instead of the weak point of Ukraine at the Pechenezh reservoir. This surprised the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and caused them to resist passively.

Russia's early timing and direction of attack in Kharkov surprised Ukraine and made it defensively passive. Photo: Getty

Also according to The Economist, the Russian Army had planned to approach AFU defense positions within 72 hours to allow artillery to attack Kharkov, but canceled the plan and divided the attack force from the North and Northeast.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky confirmed the transfer of reserve troops from another front to Kharkov. He acknowledged the successes of the Russian Army in the Kharkov direction, with the AFU lacking the necessary air defense systems, and criticized the West for continuing to delay the supply of these weapons to Kiev.

The Russians initially carried out the operation swiftly, sweeping through an area that should have been prepared with minefields and fortified positions, but was not, wrote The Economist.

The head of Ukraine's intelligence unit, Denys Yaroslavskyi, told reporters that the Russians were "simply allowed to pass": "We were watching them cutting the border fence on the screen at around 23:00 on May 9, and I told the frontline unit to detonate the mines. There was no explosion and the Russian soldiers quickly advanced."

Regarding the direction of the attack on Kharkov, the Military Chronicle channel commented that after many days of rapid breakthroughs and gaining control of many settlements, the speed of the Russian advance is slowing down.

From Volchansk, the AFU is gradually being pushed to the south and southwest. In this area, Russian combat groups have tried to start organizing the front to prevent the AFU from counterattacking, while the Ukrainian side is trying to prevent this move.

Chernomorsk railway station attacked. Photo: AP

The Russian army also achieved important successes near Liptsy. Although the key populated area in the Kharkov direction was not yet surrounded, Russian long-range artillery began firing on the Ukrainian group's supply channels in the Dergachi and Zolochev areas of Kharkov.

In addition, the Russian Northern Task Force has opened a new direction and launched a new offensive in the Zeleny area, between the Volchansky and Liptsevsky areas. This is a new danger as Russia is trying to connect the two bridgeheads to expand the battlefield to increase the number of troops on the front.

In the initial stages of the offensive in the Kharkiv region, the Russian Army clearly has the upper hand, but sooner or later the Ukrainian Army will begin to react and mobilize additional forces to the area. Meanwhile, the Northern Task Force still has many reserve forces that have not yet entered the battle.

Military experts assess that attracting Ukrainian reserve troops from other directions is aimed at reducing the cohesion and overall strength of the defense line, thereby exposing weaknesses for Russia to exploit.

The main stage of hostilities in the Kharkov region will probably begin at the moment when the AFU reserve units are completely absorbed there. The Russian army will organize a war of attrition similar to what it did at Avdeevka, Bakhmut or Robotine.

Thus, the attack on Kharkov is still in the Russian scenario. The time for the outbreak of major fighting is still ahead.

Not only did the Russian Army step up military operations at the front, it also actively hunted down and destroyed the AFU's logistics routes. According to RIA Novosti, the Russian Army attacked a railway station in Chernomorsk, Odessa region. This train was waiting for military equipment and artillery shells from Romania to be supplied to the AFU.

“Chernomorsk suffered three strikes on the night of May 21. Several large explosions were recorded at the Chernomorsk railway station. The first attack took place at 2:30 a.m. Residents heard anti-aircraft artillery fire, but the subsequent large explosions were heard from the direction of the railway station,” RIA Novosti reported.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chien-su-nga-ukraine-hom-nay-ngay-2152024-nga-thay-doi-ke-hoach-tan-cong-kharkov-khien-ukraine-bat-ngo-321409.html