The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S.-based think tank, says Russian forces were ordered to create a buffer zone along the border and move toward Kharkiv.
“Routine indirect fire, combined with continued glide bomb and missile strikes, would likely be aimed at creating conditions for a larger offensive effort against the city of Kharkiv at a later date,” the institute said . But Russia does not need to capture the city to control it.
The institute warned that the city of 1.8 million would be within artillery range if Russian forces managed to advance an additional dozen kilometers from their current positions. But attempting to conquer the city would be a monumental task for the Russians – let alone maintaining an occupation.
Beyond Kharkiv, one risk Ukraine faces is that Putin will again try to seize areas around the capital. As a precautionary measure, Ukrainian authorities are considering reinforcing kyiv.
Five of the ten new brigades that will be raised in the coming weeks will be deployed to protect the capital. But this ties in with one of the main criticisms leveled recently by Zelensky and his government, namely that they were slow to prepare for the Russian offensive and only belatedly recognized that it was crucial to raise more troops.
With the May boom, this attitude changed. A new law, which comes into force this week, gives greater powers to enlistment officers and will make life more difficult for draft dodgers, with sanctions including freezing their bank accounts.
“This situation, where some are fighting on the front line while others live their quiet lives, is obviously coming to an end,” Defense Ministry spokesman Dmitry Lazutkin told Ukrainian TV channel Espresso . “Faced with an enemy like Russia, the entire country must mobilize,” he said.
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