Army Reserves Council head explains why Kharkiv Region's Oskil Reservoir matters to Russia

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"They (the Russian troops - ed.) will try to push the entire front line all the time - this is clear. As for the Lyman-Kupyansk direction, their ultimate goal is the Oskil reservoir, the direction of Izium, from where they were driven out as part of Ukrainian offensive. This is an image issue for them; the second army of the world lost the battle for Kharkiv terribly. Of course, they will always try to take revenge in this area," the military explains.

According to Tymochko, Russian forces understand that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will sooner or later go on the offensive again.

“The Oskil reservoir, in their assessments, could pose a threat for us on the eastern front. It could also, let's say, become a water barrier of nearly 80 km. This would provide them with the opportunity to build some engineering fortifications in this direction. However, when they retreated from the Kharkiv region, they tried to construct fortifications around the Oskil reservoir, but at that time there was such a panic in their ranks that they abandoned it after only starting some basic preparations," explains Tymochko.

The serviceman emphasized that it is essential not to forget that the Russian forces must have taken the mistakes into account in this direction.

"Putin craves victories. He has the ability to portray even a small village as a triumph through his propaganda machinery. Perhaps he aspires to stage performances against grand backdrops, akin to Napoleon showcasing himself against the Egyptian pyramids. It's all Putin; in general, the battles in this direction have lost military significance for them," he added.

Background

Krokhmalne is a village in Ukraine, in the Kupyansk district of the Kharkiv region. It's population was about 45 people.

On January 20, Russian occupying forces managed to advance along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line and capture the village of Krokhmalne, Kharkiv region

Volodymyr Fito, head of the public relations service of the Ukrainian Land Forces Command, said that by capturing Krokhmalne,  the Russians are trying to justify the loss of more than 7,000 of their troops.