Early Friday morning, Russian forces invaded the northeast. kharkiv They arrived in the region from Russia’s Belgorod Oblast in armored vehicles after supporting air strikes and artillery fire.
The Ukrainian military acknowledged the Russian attack, noted that reserve forces were deployed to fend off an attack, and said Kiev had so far repelled the attack.
president of ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky The military said it was “fighting back against the occupiers.”
“We are providing everything we need to defend our position.” Zelenskiy said.
Russian troops are advancing towards the town Vovtyanskbeyond the city of Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine.
of War Research Institute In his assessment, he said Russian forces would not capture the city of Kharkiv, noting that they had insufficient forces for the task and did not attack from the west or northwest. did.
Rather, Russia may be trying to decimate the Ukrainian military, create panic, and establish a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia, ISW said.
This pressure is likely to leave Ukraine’s military stretched thin as Russia steps up its offensive on the eastern front and moves toward civil war. Donetsk region.
White House National Security Press Secretary John Kirby On Friday, the United States told reporters it “anticipates” a Russian attack in Kharkiv.
“We are working closely together to support Ukraine’s preparations,” he said.
The United States is trying to make up for delays in providing additional military aid to Ukraine by several months. This ended with the national security bill signed into law last month. $61 billion For Ukraine.
The Biden administration on Friday announced its third policy for Ukraine based on that supplement. $400 million tranche This includes important air defense weapons and artillery shells.
However, Zelenskiy did not express much enthusiasm for the new packaging.
“What’s really useful are weapons brought into Ukraine,” he says. “It’s not just about announcing the packaging.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
