by Mikhail Zakharov
[REGNUM] The offensive of the Russian army in the Kharkov region continues. Units of the “North” group are advancing into the depths of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ defense.
During the week from May 11 to May 17, the Russian military liberated 12 settlements in the region from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. At the same time, the enemy tried to attack the positions of Russian forces in the areas of Volchansk, Liptsov and Tikhoy - all five counterattacks of the Russian Armed Forces were successfully repelled, the Ministry of Defense said on May 19.
Units of other groups of the Russian army also occupy more advantageous positions, which forces Kyiv to transfer reserves from other sectors of the front.
The successes of Russian troops are forced to be recognized even in the West. The day before, the commander of NATO's joint forces in Europe, Christopher Cavoli, noted that the Russian Armed Forces had proven their resilience and ability to advance, improving approaches to combat operations.
In turn, French corps general of aviation Bruno Clermont said that the successes of Russian forces advancing in the Kharkov region came as a surprise to everyone, since “there was not even a warning from American intelligence.”
At the same time, statements are increasingly heard in Ukraine that funds allocated for the construction of defensive structures in the border region were simply stolen.
“The Russians just walked in. They just entered, without any mined fields,” the BBC quotes the words of the commander of one of the Ukrainian units. - Either it was negligence or corruption. It wasn't a failure. It was a betrayal."
THE ARMED FORCES OF UKRAINE ARE IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION, BUT KYIV CAN BRIGHTEN THINGS UP
The head of the Kiev regime, Vladimir Zelensky, traditionally places the blame for failures in defense on other countries: he even went so far as to blame the whole world, which is supposedly obliged to help Kiev with equipment and ammunition. Ukraine, Zelensky said, could lose Kharkov if the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not receive two American Patriot air defense systems and 120-130 F-16 tactical fighters or other modern Western combat aircraft.
In the meantime, Zelensky is begging for new supplies, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Alexander Syrsky, admitted that the Ukrainian army will face difficult battles due to the “unexpected” advance of the Russian army. Obviously, in Kyiv they hope that new people will be recruited to the front thanks to the law on tightening mobilization that came into force on May 18.
In the meantime, the deplorable state of affairs is recognized, including in the United States. On May 16, the State Department called the situation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces “incredibly desperate,” and the head of the NATO military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, added that the situation for the Ukrainian army is “very difficult.”
The Armed Forces of Ukraine are indeed in a difficult situation, but we should not forget that Kiev knows how to exaggerate the danger to itself in order to keep the world community in good shape, military expert Vasily Dandykin told IA Regnum.
It is quite possible that Ukrainian officials are making loud statements, focusing on the “peace conference” planned for June 15-16 in Switzerland, at which there will be no Russian representatives.
Dandykin recalls that the Kiev regime regularly complains about the lack of missiles and other ammunition, but this does not stop the Ukrainian Armed Forces from trying to launch massive attacks on Russian territory, including HARM and ATACMS missiles received from the West.
At the same time, the expert admits that Kyiv is panicking due to a potential increase in the front line - perhaps Russian troops will carry out tasks in the Sumy and Chernigov regions in order to expand the sanitary zone.
“Strikes can be carried out in the summer and in other directions. I don’t rule out that this will be a Kherson direction,” says Dandykin.
BILLIONS FOR UKRAINE AND FRENCH INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS AT THE FRONT
It is noteworthy that, against the backdrop of pessimistic statements about the state of affairs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on May 18, Zelensky rejected the idea of French President Emmanuel Macron about the “Olympic truce.”
However, this idea itself can hardly be considered seriously, military expert Vladimir Gundarov noted in a conversation with IA Regnum. According to him, any talk about a truce now makes no sense and is unlikely to happen until one of the parties feels that further continuation of hostilities will bring more serious consequences for it than any of the proposed truces.
Moreover, NATO countries continue to pump Kyiv with weapons and attract “military specialists.”
The German publication Bild, citing its own sources, reported that the country's Ministry of Defense has asked the government for an additional 3.8 billion euros to help Kyiv. The publication says that the request for additional funds will be submitted for parliamentary approval in June, while the Ministry of Finance supports the request.
An unnamed ministry official told Bild that "Germany must not fail in strengthening Ukraine's defenses." The publication also reported that in 2025, the Bundeswehr may request a record amount of 15 billion euros to help Ukraine.
In addition, it recently became known about the testing of a FRAN reconnaissance unit from the French army at NATO exercises in Estonia, which may soon go to Ukraine. It is reported that the tasks of the new and experimental unit include coordinating the work of assault groups, searching for enemy strongholds and places to enter trenches.
RUSSIA HAS SPOKEN, THE WEST HAS RETREATED
Vladimir Gundarov recalls that informally NATO military specialists are already present on the territory of Ukraine: Poles, Germans, British and Americans have stated this. According to the military expert, the real “red line” for the official entry of NATO troops can only be the crossing of the Dnieper by Russian troops and entry into the territory of right-bank Ukraine. At the same time, the West is unlikely to react radically to the events around Kharkov.
Moreover, Gundarov notes, Russia, for its part, has already made it clear that it will escalate the situation in the event of a possible deployment of Western troops, including with the use of nuclear weapons.
“Western countries have already taken a step back. No one insists on officially sending in troops,” says the expert.
In the near future, Vasily Dandykin predicts, the fighting will continue, depleting Ukraine.
“The collapse of the front can happen unexpectedly, as happened during the First World War. In my opinion, this may be due, first of all, to mass surrender,” says Dandykin. — So far this has not been observed, but I think a similar situation is not far off. Objectively, Russia’s capabilities are greater, even despite the help of the West to the Armed Forces of Ukraine."
