Russian forces will strike in unexpected places during their summer offensive in Ukraine and could try to capture the northeastern city of Kharkiv. The commander of the Ukrainian National Guard said this on Tuesday.
“We are preparing,” Oleksandr Pivnenko told Ukrainian news site Liga.net. “Yes, the enemy will give us unpleasant surprises. He will operate in areas where we do not expect him. But Russia will not achieve its goal,” the commander of the Ukrainian National Guard insisted.
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, has been bombarded with missiles and drones several times in recent weeks. But Ukrainian forces will be prepared to repel any attack, Pivnenko said.
He expects that Russian forces will continue to target Kharkiv’s critical infrastructure – much of which has already been damaged or destroyed by Russian attacks – but will not capture the city.
LOOK. Television tower in Kharkiv collapses after Russian airstrike
Russia has been moving further and further east, but long-awaited US military aid will soon reach Ukraine, after which the ammunition shortages will be resolved and air defenses will be strengthened again.
Ukrainian officials say they expect a Russian offensive in late spring or summer and believe Moscow wants to capture the strategically important eastern city of Chasiv Yar by May 9, when the Soviet Union celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany . The Ukrainian army currently has full control over Chasiv Yar, an elevated city that is strategically very important in an area partly occupied by Russia. But Russia is reportedly keeping 25,000 soldiers ready to storm Chasiv Yar.
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The capture of Chasiv Yar would bring Russia closer to two other strategically important cities still under Ukrainian control: Kramatorsk and Sloviansk. Chasiv Yar is located about 25 km as the crow flies from Kramatorsk, a crucial logistics hub for the Ukrainian military.
Pivnenko stated that he foresaw “some difficulties” for the Ukrainian troops, but that the Russian army would not make a decisive breakthrough. “Maybe they can achieve 10 to 15 percent of their goals. But this will not be a strategic victory.”
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Tags: Russia strike unexpected places summer Ukraine warns War Ukraine Russia
