May 18, 2024

Russian troops have advanced no more than six miles into Ukraine’s Kharkiv Oblast (province) during their latest offensive, and have yet to meet the “concrete” and “most powerful” line of defense, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The president made the comment to journalists on Friday when he insisted the Kharkiv front has now stabilized, following a Russian offensive launched on May 10 from the Belgorod region of Russia which Ukrainian authorities believe consists of 30,000 soldiers.

Russian troops have been making gradual advances over the past few months in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, which Vladimir Putin annexed in September 2022, at the cost of heavy casualties. On May 10 they launched a new offensive from the north, toward Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, seizing a number of border settlements before their advance was slowed somewhat over the past few days.

Speaking on Friday, Zelensky said Russian forces had reached the “first line” of Ukrainian defense in the Kharkiv Oblast, advancing around six miles. The president said Ukraine also has a second and third line prepared, the latter being the “most powerful” and including “concrete” constructions as it was not under Russian fire whilst being built.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday said his country’s operation in Kharkiv Oblast was going “according to plan” claiming it is aimed at creating a “buffer zone” to protect border areas from Ukrainian fire, and that the intention is not to seize Kharkiv itself.

In its most recent assessment published on Friday, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a Washington, D.C. think tank, agreed Moscow appeared focused on building a “buffer zone” in Kharkiv Oblast but warned this could be used as a staging post for further attacks.

It said: “ISW previously assessed that Russian forces appear to be prioritizing the establishment of a “buffer zone” along the international border over setting conditions for deeper penetrations into northern Kharkiv Oblast.”

The ISW also claimed Moscow is likely trying to divert Ukrainian forces from the Donbas with its new offensive in the north. They said: “Russian forces will likely be able to stretch Ukrainian forces along a wide front and fix Ukrainian troops in the international border area even as the tempo of Russian offensive operations in northern Kharkiv Oblast slows.”

Newsweek reached out to the Ukrainian and Russian Ministries of Defense for comment by email.

In an interview with the AFP news agency Zelensky claimed that in terms of air defenses Ukraine only has “about 25 percent of what we need,” adding his country required 120-130 F-16 fighter jets or similar aircraft to achieve “parity” with Moscow’s air force.

Ukrainian pilots are being trained on F-16 fighter jets by Western allies and expect to receive their first aircraft in June or July, according to a “Ukrainian military source” cited by Reuters. Thus far the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium and Denmark have all committed to sending Ukraine F-16 combat jets.

On Thursday Putin met Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to China, with the two leaders sharing a brief hug.

The Atlantic Council think tank said: “Putin is relying on his ‘dear friend’ in China to continue supporting his country’s wartime economy, including through oil purchases.

“At the same time, Xi is looking to lock in a junior partner for China as its economy faces de-risking by Europe and new tariffs from the United States.”

https://www.newsweek.com/ukraines-concrete-line-defense-stabilized-1902206