2024 Kharkiv offensive | |||||||||
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Part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |||||||||
The frontline on 16 May 2024 (details) | |||||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Russia | Ukraine | ||||||||
Units involved | |||||||||
Order of battle | Order of battle | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
2,000 – 8,000 (per Ukraine) [1] | ~30,000 (30 battalions) (per Russia)[ better source needed ] | ||||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||||
3 dead and 4 injured by Russian shelling [2] 10,500+ displaced |
On 10 May 2024, the Russian Armed Forces began an offensive operation in Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, shelling and attempting to breach the defenses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the direction of Vovchansk and Kharkiv. [3] The Guardian reported that the offensive has led to Russia's biggest territorial gains in 18 months. [4]
In the first months of their invasion, the Russian Armed Forces managed to conquer large parts of northeastern Kharkiv Oblast, including the towns of Kupiansk, Izium, Shevchenkove, and Balakliia. Following a counteroffensive in September 2022, Ukrainian forces were able to recapture these settlements and push Russian forces out of almost the entire oblast. [5]
During the first months of 2024, reports appeared that the Russian army was rebuilding its forces in the north to launch a new offensive in the direction of Kharkiv later that year. [6] [7] [8] Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had also repeatedly threatened to attack Kharkiv Oblast and establish a buffer zone to protect Russia's Belgorod Oblast in response to cross-border attacks by Ukraine. [9] [10] On 8 May 2024, the governor of Kharkiv Oblast, Oleh Syniehubov, reported a large gathering of Russian forces north of the region. [11] [12] The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, subsequently said that over 50,000 Russian soldiers had been deployed to the border. [13]
According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russian forces shelled positions with guided bombs in the direction of Vovchansk during the day and added artillery fire at night. An attempt to break through the front line was recorded at 5:00 am on 10 May. [14] Up to 4–5 Russian infantry battalions from a newly created force [15] crossed the state border, reportedly capturing the villages of Krasne, Borysivka, Strilecha, and Pylna . [14] [16] [17] Ukraine's armed forces urged residents of northern Kharkiv Oblast to evacuate. [18] [19] The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, subsequently said that over 30,000 Russian soldiers were involved in the offensive. [13]
According to Ukrainian military journalist Yuri Butusov, the captured border area had been a "gray zone" behind the Ukrainian defensive line with no Ukrainian military presence, with the exception of Strilecha. [16] [20] Syniehubov also referred to the affected villages as a "gray zone", [21] claiming that "the Ukrainian armed forces have not lost a single meter". [22] According to DeepStateMap.Live analysts, citing confidential sources, Russian forces had occupied the village of Pylna several days before 10 May, but poor communication within the Ukrainian military had prevented any action from being taken. [23]
Later in the afternoon, reserve units were sent to Kharkiv Oblast to hold the front line, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. [24]
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that artillery had thus far been able to repel the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast and that Russia may pull more reserves to support the offensive but that Ukraine's armed forces were ready to resist them. [25]
Later that day a senior Ukrainian commander said that Russian forces had pushed Ukrainian forces back by one kilometer from the Russian-Ukrainian border and were aiming to advance 10 kilometers into Ukraine. The border city of Vovchansk was subjected to "massive shelling" and residents were evacuated. [26]
Fighting was also reported in the villages of Pletenivka , Hatyshche , [27] Hoptivka, [28] Morokhovets , [29] Oliinykove and Ohirtseve . [30] Russian bloggers claimed that Pletenivka, Hatyshche, Ohirtseve and Zelene had come under Russian control, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which was unable to verify the claims. [31] Ukraine's 42nd Mechanized Brigade published footage of its "Perun" unit destroying four Russian BMP infantry fighting vehicles in the area of Pylna using combat drones, claiming to have inflicted several casualties. [32] [33]
A member of the Ukrainian partisan movement Atesh allegedly serving in the Russian military claimed that parts of his unit, a motorised rifle battalion of the 44th Army Corps, refused to participate in the assault on Kharkiv Oblast, owing to the failure of previous sabotage and reconnaissance and the strength of Ukrainian fortifications. [34]
By 10 May, Russian forces, according to the ISW, had seized around "35 square miles of territory", although Ukrainian forces claimed to have pushed Russian forces back. [35]
The Ukrainians claimed to have destroyed 20 Russian units of armored equipment during the previous day's offensive. Nazar Voloshyn, spokesman of Ukraine's Khortytsia operational-strategic group, claimed that the Russians were contained in the "gray zone" and that the offensive had effectively been repelled. [36]
According to the ISW, geolocated footage published on 11 May indicated that Morokhovets, Oliinykove and Ohirtseve had come under Russian control. [37] [38] Russian military bloggers claimed that Russian forces had also captured the villages of Hoptivka, Kudiivka and Tykhe , and were trying to advance into Vovchansk, though the think tank said it had not observed evidence to verify these claims. [37] The Russian defence ministry claimed in a briefing that its forces had taken five villages: Strilecha, Pylna, Borysivka, Ohirtseve and Pletenivka. [39]
The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that its forces had captured the villages of Hatyshche, Krasne, Morokhovets and Oliinykove. [40]
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote on Telegram that the situation in Kharkiv Oblast had "significantly worsened". [41] Amid claims by Russian and Ukrainian sources of combat within Vovchansk, ISW assessed that Hatyshche, Pletenivka and Tykhe had come under Russian control. [38]
Ukrainian outlets Rubryka and Ukrainska Pravda reported that the DeepState map indicated that Russian forces had taken control over the village of Zelene, while the village of Lukiantsi was almost wholly occupied. [42] [43]
Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces partially withdrew from the village of Ternova following clashes nearby however the status of the village is currently unknown. [44]
Ukrainian forces claimed to have killed over 100 Russian soldiers in the last 24 hours in northern Kharkiv Oblast. Some five Russian battalions were involved in Vovchansk. Ukrainian officials acknowledged that Russian forces had made "tactical gains" and that Ukrainian forces appeared to be avoiding direct engagements with Russian forces. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Facebook that its forces were "conducting defensive operations, inflicting fire damage on the enemy, widely using unmanned systems for reconnaissance and launching pinpoint strikes to inflict maximum damage" adding that reserves were being deployed to "stabilize the situation." [45]
The Ukrainian military announced that its forces had "changed positions" in Lukiantsi "to save the lives" of its soldiers due to ongoing Russian attacks. [46]
DeepState reported that the village of Zelene was still under Ukrainian control despite heavy fighting in the area. [47]
Russian forces took control of the village of Buhruvatka . [48]
President Zelenskyy arrived in Kharkiv to meet with the top brass of the Ukrainian military and said that the situation in Kharkiv is "very difficult but under control". [49] [50]
Ukrainian soldiers, fighting near Kharkiv, reported that they had "never seen anything close to the number of Lancets (drones) flying" in comparison to earlier battles. However Ukrainian soldiers reported that they did not have to ration shells as in earlier battles. Russian forces reduced the number of armoured vehicles assaults allegedly due to losses, while using smaller groups of infantry, 5-20, in assaults. With the ISW writing: the "tempo of Russian offensive operations in the area continues to decrease". [51] [52]
Russian president Vladimir Putin made for the first time statements regarding to the new offensive claiming Russia's current plan is a creation of a "buffer zone" in order to stop Ukrainian shelling of Belgorod and to protect the border areas. According to him, there are no plans to capture the city of Kharkiv as of now. [53]
Zelenskyy acknowledged that Russian forces had advanced by as much as ten kilometers into Kharkiv Oblast, but claimed that they were being held back by primary Ukrainian defensive lines. [54]
Two people were killed and 25 were wounded in a Russian airstrike in Kharkiv. [55]
Russia claimed to have taken control of the village of Starytsia . [56]
The Kyiv Independent wrote that the offensive was "stretching Ukrainian defenses thin". [57]
Russian forces attacked the cities of Kharkiv, Liubotyn and Zolochiv with around 15 S-300 missiles, killing seven people and injuring over a dozen others. [58] [59]
Vovchansk began to come under heavy artillery fire on the night of 10 May, which continued the following day. [18] Russian troops advanced towards Vovchansk following the capture of Zelene and Lukiantsi on 12 May, [60] and managed to capture the Vovchansky meat processing plant located north of the city. [44] The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Instagram that "at the moment, the enemy has tactical success". [61] Forbes reported that Ukrainian forces deployed Swedish CV90s in Vovchansk. [62]
On 13 May, a shoe factory in the north of the city was captured in the morning and Russian troops advanced into the center of Vovchansk up to the northern (right) bank of the river Vovcha by the evening, according to Russian milbloggers. [44]
On 20 May, Deputy Governor Roman Semenukha claimed that Ukraine still controls 60% of Vovchansk. [63] [64] House to house fighting in the city was also reported. [65]
Ukrainian soldiers said that the situation in Vovchansk is "worse than Bakhmut". [66]
The offensive comes at a time when the limited Ukrainian troops were already stretched across a 1,000+ km frontline, forcing partial troop pull backs from other areas such as Kupiansk. Noting a small buildup of Russian forces near Sumy Oblast, Kiev warned that the current operation may be a precursor to a larger summer offensive. In a Reuters article, Pasi Paroinen, an analyst with the Black Bird Group, also assessed that the Kharkiv push aimed to deplete limited Ukrainian reserves before a main offensive. Notably, he said: "If Ukraine overcommits in Kharkiv and Sumy, they may preserve some territory there, perhaps prevent Kharkiv civilians from suffering artillery bombardments, perhaps even push back the enemy back to the border, but it may cost them the war, if the reserves are not available to respond to crises during the Russian summer offensive." [67] In a lighter tone, David Axe, a military correspondent for Forbes , suggested that the offensive might be "an elaborate feint" whose main goal was to pull Ukrainian resources away from Chasiv Yar and the area of Avdiivka. [68]
This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints.(May 2024) |
The Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff claimed on 19 May that Russia lost 1,572 soldiers killed and injured over the past week. They also claimed 263 units of military equipment were destroyed or damaged. [lower-alpha 2] They also claimed on 16 May that two combat formations deployed to the Kharkiv sector – the 138th Motor Rifle Brigade and 7th Separate Motor Rifle Regiment, both of 18th Motor Rifle Division – took 70 percent losses in less than two weeks and were rendered "combat ineffective". [69] [70]
As of 20 May 2024, more than 10,500 residents have been evacuated from areas of Kharkiv Oblast affected by the fighting, [71] particularly in Kharkiv, Bohodukhiv and Chuhuiv raions. [72] By 14 May, only about 400 civilians remained in Vovchansk, with "almost none" in the northern part of the city. [73]
This section may be unbalanced towards certain viewpoints.(May 2024) |
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko claimed on 16 May that a resident of Vovchansk had been killed by Russian soldiers after refusing to obey their orders and attempting to escape on foot. He also claimed that other civilians were being taken into captivity and forced into basements; [74] Ukrainian police claimed the next day that these were up to 40, mostly elderly, civilians and that they were also being interrogated by people who were calling themselves FSB employees, as well as that they were being used as human shields by Russian forces, a claim which has not been independently verified. [75] [76]
A video shot by aerial reconnaissance over Vovchansk showed the body of a dead civilian man in a wheelchair near a local hospital that had been occupied by Russian forces. Law enforcement officials reported they were investigating the version that the man had tried to move away from the hospital but had been shot by Russian forces and left in a wheelchair in the middle of a road. [77] Furthermore, a Ukrainian military spokesman reported that Russian forces were allegedly looting houses of local residents on the outskirts of Vovchansk, [78] with a video published on Telegram showing a Russian soldier taking a large object covered by a white veil into a UAZ-3303 truck, purportedly looting a private house. [79] [ better source needed ]
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