Russian offensive in Kharkiv region seeks diversion of reserves from Kramatorsk, Pokrovsk — military expert

He expressed this opinion on Espresso TV.

The expert reminded that, according to Ukraine’s General Staff, Russia’s advance towards Kharkiv and Vovchansk is up to 6.5-8 km.

“If the Ukrainian army continues to receive uninterrupted and full-fledged resources, including artillery, the enemy is unlikely to have any prospects for advancement. Moreover, no matter what they say about the fortifications, they say they are not very well made, but the first line of defense of the defensive structures in the Kharkiv region has been established at a distance of 8-10 km from the state border. So, the enemy will have a lot of trouble if they try to attack our defenses,” Selezniov explained.

According to him, Russia does not have many resources for a large-scale offensive on Kharkiv, as approximately 32,000 Russian troops are in the Belgorod region, and only one fifth of them are involved in the fighting in the Kharkiv region.

“These are not the resources that the enemy could count on to realize any large-scale territorial gains. Most likely, it is about some distractions that should create more favorable conditions for the enemy troops, which are concentrated in two areas in the eastern part of our country - Kramatorsk and Pokrovsk, respectively. I think that it is with the aim of maximizing the diversion of our strategic reserves to this new section of the front that the enemy is ready to lose resources and people, armored vehicles, weapons, because to a certain extent the Russians are acting in sync, intensifying their actions both in the northern  Kharkiv region and in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. This is all done in order to maximize the stretching of our strategic reserves, which would be much more appropriate now, for example, west of Avdiivka or near Chasiv Yar,” said the Ukrainian Armed Forces colonel.

The former spokesperson added that the key factor that determines the ability to operate effectively on the battlefield is resources, “If the parties to the conflict have enough resources in certain areas at a certain time, they have success, if not, then they have no success.”

• The Russian army has advanced no more than 8 kilometers from the border since the start of the offensive in the Kharkiv region.
• Russian troops are attacking along almost the entire front line. They focus their main efforts on the Pokrovsk and Kupyansk directions.
• Roman Vlasenko, head of the Severodonetsk district military administration, noted that the intensity of Russian military operations in the Luhansk region has decreased.
• Kharkiv regional council deputy Oleksandr Skoryk noted that over the past day, Russian troops had not advanced or gained any ground in the Kharkiv region.
• On May 16, it was reported that Ukrainian defenders had forced a significant decrease in the activity of Russian troops in the Kharkiv direction. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are keeping them under fire control.