Russia launches a ground attack on Kharkiv to break through Ukraine’s defenses

Russian troops launched an armored ground attack on northeastern Ukraine on Friday. Kiev said it was a new major offensive that it had been expecting for months.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said it was sending reserve units to the border region of Kharkiv after Russia tried to breach its defense lines with armored vehicles and artillery.

The ministry said in a statement that the dawn attacks had been repelled but that “fighting of varying intensity” continued. “The Defense Forces of Ukraine continue to hold back the enemy’s offensive,” it said.

“Russia has launched a new wave of counteroffensives in this direction,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a planned news conference in Kiev shortly after the ministry’s statement. “Ukraine met them there with our troops, brigades and artillery.”

The Ukrainian command is prepared for a Russian attack in the region and is ready to meet the enemy “with fire.” The Russian army could send more forces in that direction, he said, adding that a “fierce battle” was underway.

Ukrainian officials have warned that the Kremlin is massing thousands of troops for a new major offensive this summer. Russian President Vladimir Putin has made clear his desire to establish a buffer zone to push Ukrainian forces back from its northern border. So far, however, its military’s advances across the front lines have been largely focused on the south and the eastern Donbass region.

It was not immediately clear whether the new Russian attack was an attempt to withdraw Ukrainian forces – outgunned and manned despite new promises of Western support – or a major attempt to seize areas around the second largest To conquer the city of Ukraine, Kharkiv.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Russia carried out guided-bomb attacks before attempting to breach defenses toward Vovchansk, a town on the border with Russia just 35 miles northeast of Kharkiv.

Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov also said on Friday that Russian forces had increased their shelling in the northern direction, particularly around Vovchansk.

The shelling with guided aerial bombs and artillery took place throughout the night, he said, and there were unsuccessful attempts by Russian reconnaissance groups to break through the border.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine are confidently holding their positions: not a single meter has been lost,” Syniehubov said in a post on Telegram. “The enemy group does not pose a threat to Kharkiv, its forces are only sufficient for provocations in the northern direction.”

He also called on residents in the north of the region, particularly near Vovchansk, to heed evacuation calls.

Military analysts had expected a new Russian push in the region as Kiev awaits the arrival of new U.S. military aid after months of severe ammunition shortages.

Moscow has used this vulnerability to push ahead, claiming to have captured several villages in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks. However, increased activity in the Kharkiv region could mean a new focus for Russian troops.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday that its forces had claimed two settlements southeast of Kharkiv this week. No statements were initially made about the alleged attempt to break through near Vovchansk this morning.

Russia’s influential military bloggers and war reporters were cautious early Friday, suggesting the reports could be the start of a long and arduous campaign for Russian troops with no “quick victories.”

And Western military analysts were similarly cautious.

“We have to be very careful when we use words like breakthrough. At present these appear to be more exploratory attacks than a major offensive. Of course, it’s still early days, so that could change,” Phillips O’Brien, a professor of strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, told NBC News.

The regional capital Kharkiv has been under heavy bombardment for weeks, which some military observers saw as possible preparation for a full-scale attack.

Putin has promised to establish a “sanitary zone” around the Kharkiv region to prevent Ukrainian attacks from reaching Russian border regions.

Friday’s offensive actions could be an attempt to launch a major ground attack, or it could be an attempt to lure Ukrainian forces to that area so Russia can then attack elsewhere, said Neil Melvin, the director of international security at Royal United Services Institutes. or RUSI, a London-based think tank.

“Russia has been putting pressure on Ukraine’s defenses for several months, forcing Kiev to constantly bypass its forces to ensure there is no breakthrough,” Melvin said. “Through these actions, Russia is trying to shape the battlefield to its advantage – trying to create gaps in Ukraine’s defense lines so that Moscow can then attack where defenses are weakest.”

“Russia is estimated to have around 50,000 troops stationed in the region,” he said, but “the picture will probably only become clearer in the coming days.”