Newsweek: Russia could seize Kharkiv within months

According to Newsweek magazine, Russia’s continued desire to reach Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine, which is located just miles from the Russian border.

Kharkiv, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says, has “a great symbolic meaning,” as it’s considered one of the capitals of Ukraine, and Kiev must do everything in its power to prevent Russian forces from invading and controlling the second largest city in the country.

Newsweek considered that there are urgent questions about how long Ukraine may be able to withstand in and around Kharkiv, if Kiev remains deprived of vital US military aid, and if Russia sets its sights on the major city, which was Its population before the war was about two million people.

In this context, Jacob Parakilas, research leader in the field of strategy, policy, and defense capabilities at the European branch of the RAND Corporation, says, “Even with the cessation of the flow of aid to Ukraine, a successful attack on Kharkiv will be a major task for Russia, but it’s not completely excluded”.

He added to Newsweek, “With Kharkiv located less than 20 miles from the Russian border, the slow and grinding attack may mean that Moscow may be able to control the city within months, and its location close to Russian territory gives Moscow has the necessary tools to better position and support its attacking forces”.

He added that what is also important is that “the Ukrainian weapons arsenal is now much smaller than it was last year,” and that “the Russian army is able to withstand more losses for a longer period than the Ukrainians can”.

In this context, the commander of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, confirmed on Saturday that the situation of his forces on the eastern front had deteriorated significantly in recent days.

Syrskyi pointed out that this decline is primarily due to Moscow’s intensification of its attack after the presidential elections, which it witnessed last March.

When discussing the progress of military operations, General Syrskyi explained that Russian forces are actively attacking Ukrainian positions in Liman and Bakhmut, with attack groups, supported by armored vehicles.

In Pokrovsk, Russian forces are working to penetrate the Ukrainian defenses, using dozens of tanks and armored personnel carriers, he added.