Russia, which had previously moved ground forces into the northeastern region where Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, is located, claimed on the 11th (local time) that it had seized five towns in the area. Ukraine has denied stating that a counterattack is underway. It is unclear whether Russia’s advance is to penetrate deep into Ukrainian territory before delayed U.S. military aid arrives or to establish a unilateral buffer zone as mentioned by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the 11th, the Russian state TASS news agency reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have “liberated” five towns located in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine: Pletenivka, Ohirtseve, Borysivka, Pyl’na, and Strilechna. On the morning of the 10th, Russian forces began a ground offensive across the border near Kharkiv using aircraft, artillery, infantry, and armored units. Russia had occupied Kharkiv immediately after the start of the war in February 2022 but later lost the area to a Ukrainian counterattack.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that it had seized the town of Keramik in the Donetsk Oblast, eastern Ukraine that day.
However, according to BBC, Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, denied Russia’s claim stating that although over 1,700 people had evacuated from the area due to Russian attacks, the situation is under control, the claim of Russia. He added that there is no threat of a ground attack on Kharkiv. Ukrainian officials believe Russia may exacerbate the situation along the border, but cannot occupy Kharkiv itself with incompetency.
AP reported that airstrikes continued in the village of Vovchansk in Kharkiv on the 11th, and their reporters on the ground witnessed nine airstrikes in three hours. The news agency quoted Tamaz Hambarashvili, the military administrative official of Vovchansk, saying, “The situation in Vovchansk and the border villages with Russia is strenuous. Incessant airstrikes are being carried out, and there are numerous attacks from rocket missile systems and shelling.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in a video speech on the 10th that “Russian forces are expanding their operations against Ukraine” and that they are “adding more troops towards Kharkiv.” In a speech on the 11th, he emphasized, “Our forces have been counterattacking in the border areas of Kharkiv region, near the villages of Strilecha, Olynikove, and Pletenivka, for two days to defend Ukrainian territory.” He also described the situation in the Donetsk region, including Semenivka, as “very tense.” On the 10th, President Zelenskyy emphasized that U.S.-supported weapons, including tanks and anti-aircraft equipment, must reach the front line “as soon as possible.”
Whether Russia’s attack is an attempt to launch a major offensive before the majority of delayed U.S. weapons reach Ukraine, or an attempt to establish a unilateral buffer zone to protect the Russian Belgorod region bordering Ukraine is undefined. In March, President Putin revealed plans to establish a buffer zone within Ukrainian government-controlled territory to prevent ongoing attacks inside Russian territory from Ukraine. The BBC added that there are reports that Russia wants to create a buffer zone about 6.2 miles into Ukrainian territory near Belgorod.
The New York Times (NYT) reported that experts believe Russia’s attack is less about penetrating deep into Kharkiv and more about demoralizing the Ukrainian military. The newspaper quoted Mick Ryan, a researcher at the Australian think tank Lowy Institute, as saying that “the current scale of the attack appears small,” and that the purpose of the offensive is “to demoralize both Ukrainian civilians and soldiers.” He added that “if Ukraine decides to hold this area at any cost, it will lose more of its dwindling forces,” and that this could be “one of the most difficult moments Ukraine has experienced in this war so far.”
The New York Times explained that military analysts believe the likelihood of Russian forces occupying Kharkiv is low, as Ukraine has extensively equipped the area near Kharkiv with trenches, barbed wire, and anti-tank defenses.
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