The Russians aim to partially encircle Kharkiv and exert pressure on Ukrainian forces in the area of the Pecheneg Reservoir, east of the city.
Journalists from the British magazine The Economist have obtained a plan of the Russian occupiers’ offensive in the Kharkiv region.
Reportedly, Russia had scheduled the operation for May 15-16 but postponed it by nearly a week for unknown reasons. The plan indicates that the Russians had identified two attack directions on both sides of the reservoir. An advance from the western direction was supposed to bring Kharkiv within the range of Russian artillery within three days, as the occupiers would be near the village of Borshchiv.
However, the relocated 92nd Separate Assault Brigade quickly stopped the occupiers, pushing them back 10 kilometers from their initial objective. Previously, there were reports of supposedly poor Ukrainian defensive fortifications and the retreat of the 125th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade. If the information obtained by The Economist is accurate, it changes the understanding of events on the border of the Belgorod and Kharkiv regions on May 10.
In the eastern Vovchansk direction, the Russians aimed to reach the village of Pechenihy. In the initial days, they quickly covered a significant portion of the territory, which was supposed to be mined. There were no fortifications or minefields on their route. Currently, the Russians are being held back in the area of the village of Buhruvatka and Vovchansk.
The Ukrainian Defense Forces are preparing for a new Russian attack east of Vovchansk, where the Russian army might advance towards Bilyi Kolodiaz. The Economist estimates the assembled Russian force to number 48,000 soldiers, but military analysts believe these forces are insufficient for an assault on Kharkiv itself.
Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi reported that the enemy has expanded the active combat zone by almost 70 kilometers with their offensive in the Kharkiv region, thereby attempting to force Ukrainian defenders to engage additional brigades from the reserve.
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