They started in advance: the expert explained why the RF Armed Forces did not succeed on Kharkiv
However, the fighting near Kharkiv began in advance and it was a surprise for the Russians, who were thrown against Ukrainians without training. The peculiarities of the Kremlin's spring and summer offensive and whether it has achieved success is referred to in The Telegraph. The publication recalls Gerasimov's plans, which always meant great losses for the Russian army, spraying efforts and lack of completion. At the offensive on Kharkiv in May 2024 he acted as usual.
The main task of a new blow in the Kharkiv region is to create a "buffer zone" and delay Ukrainian reserves from Donbass. Senior Researcher at the Carnegie Foundation Michael Kafman, whose opinion is cited by a correspondent, believes that the offensive of the Russian Federation took place earlier than planned. "It is now clear that the Russians started an attack on Kharkiv about a month before it was planned," Kafman said. The reason for such haste is the effort to "catch" Ukrainian troops.
However, it turned out that such suddenness was a surprise for the military of the 4th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The Russians were supposed to study, instead they were thrown into battle, noted in the article. Russian troops had to attack Kharkiv during the spring offensive - it was the main direction of impact. Auxiliary - to Kupyansk, from where Russian troops would move west and assisted attacks north of the regional center.
In addition, the pressure continued at the time of Yar and Pokrovsk. One part of the task set by Gerasimov, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation was completed: the Armed Forces really took away some brigades from the Donbass. However, the "buffer" zone was not created, instead the Russians had to transfer reserves from the East to keep the captured positions. "[Russian command - ed. ] Withdrawing troops from the Donbass to send them north.
Perhaps this delay saved Ukrainians from collapse," Kafman explained the situation on the battlefield. The article provides stories of Ukrainian fighters and command that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation began to use armored vehicles. Instead, small infantry groups of 6-8 people go forward, sometimes they "fly" on motorcycles. Due to this, under Pokrovsk, the Russians came close to the logistics highway of the Armed Forces, and under Toretsk - threaten the group near the time ravine.
Coffman estimates that the Russians have enough strength to attack until September 2024. "But the battle in the Donbass, whatever it is bloody, may not become a decisive factor in the war. It becomes more obvious who would not control the next 20 km from Donetsk, will not change the strategic picture of this war," Kafman summed up. It should be noted that the latest changes on the front in Ukraine are not under Kharkov, but near Pokrovsk and Toretsk, evidenced by the data of Deepstate analysts.
For example, on the evening of July 28, they told about three villages in the Donbass, where they noticed the advance of the enemy: Vesele, Krasnogorivka and Novo Alexandrovka. In previous days, they talked about the promotion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation under the progress, where they were surrounded, but two battalions of 31 brigades were published.