Ukraine War: Russia Advances on Kharkiv, Vovchansk Under Threat
Russian forces are advancing on Kharkiv, with President Zelenskyy acknowledging the “extremely difficult” situation. The town of Vovchansk is the immediate target, and Moscow alleges the use of Western-supplied weapons to strike Belgorod.
FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
KYIV – They arrive in Hatyshche, and take a selfie video in front of the entrance sign. “We are Russians,” say three soldiers, “and we are here.” On the map, the village is just an imperceptible speck on the border with Russia. But for Ukrainians, it’s a stain on their honor, the eastern breach they feared. From here, the siege of the town of Vovchansk can begin.
And then, who knows, they might be able to march on Kharkiv, which is only 15 km away. Infantry, tanks, and heavy artillery are deployed. The Russian plan is already ready, with an attack expected in three directions. “It’s the same tactic they used on Bakhmut and Avdiivka,” predicts Volodymyr Tymoshko, head of the Kharkiv police: “First, they will wipe Vovchansk off the face of the earth. Then, they will try to advance.”
And across the entire 600 km front line, the situation is under stress: yesterday alone, the Russian army attacked 27 villages, engaged in 155 clashes, and launched 133 rockets and missiles, along with 118 air strikes. “The first line is constantly engaged 24/7,” says Oleh Synegubov, the governor of Kharkiv, “and the enemy is trying again to break through north of our region.”
Why are the Russians advancing and Ukraine unable to stop them? A clear strategy: to extend the front line to 1,000 km. As the Russians know that Ukraine is suffering from a shortage of men, even more than weapons. And that difficulties increase when you are forced to garrison more trenches and thin out the troops. “The situation has significantly worsened,” admits Oleksandr Sypsky, the head of the Ukrainian forces: “We have had to withdraw from some positions.” “It is a very delicate moment,” comments David Cameron, the British Foreign Secretary, “and it is sad that our weapons were unlocked so late.”
Some of these, Moscow claims, are already being used, including old Tochka-U missiles of Soviet manufacture, along with Czech Pm-70 Vampire systems, Vilkha Mlps, and French Caesar self-propelled guns. “They hit us with weapons supplied by NATO,” denounces the Kremlin, when fragments of a missile fall on a ten-story building in Belgorod, 45 km from Kharkiv: about ten dead, thirty injured, and a blackout throughout the area. Putin then personally calls the mayor of the city, before a spokesperson denounces the “barbaric attack.”
As has happened every time Belgorod has been hit, Russia will respond. It has already frozen a possible exchange of 27 prisoners, all doctors, that the Vatican had been mediating for a month and that Pope Francis yesterday relaunched, saying he was “ready to negotiate.” It is too likely to accelerate the offensive, and attempt to conquer Vovchansk. “On the outskirts of the town,” says Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “the situation is extremely difficult. We are constantly under fire and our military is counterattacking to help the residents.”
Already 4,000 people have fled Vovchansk, and the exodus continues. Many elderly people live within a few hundred meters of Russian troops, so time is of the essence. In a TikTok live stream, a woman is seen being loaded into a police SUV: she sits in the back, fastens her floral scarf, and gratefully puts her hand on the officer’s shoulder. She begins to recite: “If I die, bury me / on the high hill / among the steppes of my / beautiful Ukraine…” It is “Testament,” the most famous poem by Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine’s national poet. The police officer smiles, and would recite along with her.