In the early morning hours on Friday, Russian forces pressed into the northeastern Kharkiv region from Russia’s Belgorod province with armored vehicles after supporting airstrikes and artillery fire.
The Ukrainian military acknowledged the Russian offensive and noted reserve units had been deployed to fend off the attacks, which Kyiv said it has so far repelled.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said forces are “fighting back against the occupier.”
“We are providing everything required to protect our positions,” Zelensky said.
Russian forces are moving toward the town of Vovchansk, which lies ahead of the city of Kharkiv, the second largest in Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War said in an assessment that Russian forces will likely not take Kharkiv city, noting they have deployed an insufficient force for that task and did not attack from the west or northwest.
Instead, Russia is likely trying to thin out Ukrainian troops, create panic and potentially install a buffer zone between Ukraine and Russia, ISW said.
The push is likely to stretch Ukrainian troops thin at a time when Russia is intensifying its assault across the eastern frontline and making advances in the Donetsk region.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Friday the U.S. was “anticipating” a Russian offensive in Kharkiv.
“We’ve been coordinating closely with Ukraine to help them prepare,” he said.
The U.S. is trying to catch Ukraine up after months of delays for more military aid. That ended with a national security bill signed into law last month that includes $61 billion for Ukraine.
The Biden administration announced its third package for Ukraine from that supplemental on Friday with a $400 million tranche that includes critical air defense munitions, artillery shells and more.
Zelensky, however, did not express much enthusiasm for the new package.
“The really helpful package is the weapons brought to Ukraine,” he said. “not just the announcement of the package.”
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
