Russia attacks northern Ukraine on land and causes evacuation of civilians and reinforcement of troops from Kiev

Russian forces invaded the north of the Kharkiv region, in Ukraine, in the early hours of Friday (10), forcing the evacuation of civilians from a city and the sending of soldiers from Kiev to prevent the breach of defenses in the region, thus opening a new front. in the war started by Moscow in 2022.

Kharkiv had already had part of its territory occupied by the Russians, but in September 2022 a surprise counterattack by the Ukrainians drove out the invaders. After the failure of Kiev’s counteroffensive last year, Moscow began to put pressure on the region’s borders again, advancing to the south and east of the territory, which is in the north of Ukraine and borders Belgorod, in Russia. This occurred in the occupied areas in Donbass, in the east of the country.

In turn, Kiev used the region as a base for its increasingly intense attacks against the Russian south, which have become almost daily this year, as its missiles and artillery have the range to reach the homonymous capital of Belgorod.

What happened at 5am (11pm in Brasília) was different. Russian armored columns, supported by a heavy artillery barrage, crossed the border south. Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky said the troop movement had been noticed and there was time to prepare.

“Ukraine met them there with brigades and artillery,” the leader said at a press conference. The advance, however, forced the evacuation of Vovtchansk, 50 km from Belgorodo and about 5 km from the border, and the diversion of more Ukrainian forces to the region.
According to available reports, the Russians attacked targets up to 10 km from the border and created a salient 1 km into Ukrainian territory. The situation is fluid, and all of this can change: they can move forward, be repelled, or stay where they are.

The bombing of Vovtchansk killed at least two civilians in and around the city, also leaving five injured, according to regional governor Oleh Sinehubov wrote on Telegram. The city had 18 thousand residents before the invasion.

The new front can have at least three meanings. First, it is an attempt to fulfill the promise made by Vladimir Putin on the night of March 17, when he was re-elected president for the fifth time, that he could establish a buffer zone to protect civilians in southern Russia.

Second, the attack may seek to establish a new beachhead for an assault on Kharkiv, the local capital. Analysts are unanimous that Russia does not have enough soldiers to invade and occupy the city at the moment, but that could change. It won’t be easy: the place was besieged at the beginning of the war, but never fell.
Finally, the new front will require the immediate deployment of forces from Kiev to the region, at a time when human and material resources are scarce.

Since taking the strategic Avdiivka in Donetsk in February, Putin has made slow but considerable advances in the east of the country, taking villages every week. An attack to the north could drain forces used to defend other areas. A Russian military analyst, who requested anonymity, told news agencies that a combination of the three scenarios above is most likely.

According to him, Moscow is using an old Soviet tactic of multiple attacks, in the hope that the gradual weakening of defenses will eventually provide an opportunity to break through the front at some point.

He considers that taking Kharkiv, which was home to 1.5 million inhabitants before the war and is the second largest city in the country after Kiev, by direct military means is unfeasible, but that the city can again be surrounded and bombed.

Meanwhile, Zelenski hopes that American military aid, unblocked by Congress last month, will finally start arriving in his country. Despite the astronomical values, R$300 billion in total, a large part of the resources are to repurchase ammunition already donated by the USA, and the sending of anti-aircraft batteries and artillery is slow.

Also this Friday, the Reuters agency said that Ukrainians expect the arrival of the first American F-16 fighter, donated by Denmark, in June or July. They were promised last year, but the process of training and adapting the aircraft is time-consuming. Analysts have doubts about the difference they will make in the field, but Kiev believes it can further fend off Russian aircraft, which have been using “dumb” bombs on a massive scale with kits that make them “smart”, gliding towards targets.

Russian advances, in any case, occur while Western equipment does not arrive. The day before, Putin had renewed the threat of a nuclear war against NATO if there is greater external interference in the conflict – he has already promised to escalate it if France fulfills its promise to send troops to Kiev or if British missiles reach Russian soil. (IGOR GIELOW/Folhapress)