Russian troops have launched offensive operations in the Kharkiv direction earlier than planned, and the reason is believed to be the provision of military assistance to Ukraine from the United States.
This was reported by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Experts note that Russian troops began conducting limited offensive operations along the Russian-Ukrainian border in the north of Kharkiv Region on May 10. Analysts suggest that the enemy could have started earlier than planned because of the US assistance to Ukraine.
This is also evidenced by the fact that Russian troops began to act "before they had completed bringing the Northern Grouping of Forces up to its reported planned end strength." Therefore, the enemy has now engaged only a limited amount of combat power to offensive operations in the area. ISW experts assume that the number of Russian units and the Russian group of troops involved indicates that the enemy is not yet conducting a large-scale operation to seize the city of Kharkiv.
The ISW report mentions that since May 14, the pace of the enemy's offensive has begun to slow down - the enemy probably intends to create a so-called "buffer zone" on the border. This is what Russian troops are prioritizing over a deeper penetration into the Kharkiv Region.
Analysts suggest that the strategic goal of such Russia's actions on the border of the Kharkiv Region is to draw back and fix Ukrainian forces in this zone, and most likely to enable a Russian offensive in other directions of Ukraine.
In addition, the enemy wants to advance within the effective range of artillery firing at the city of Kharkiv in order to "routine indirect fire, in combination with continued glide bomb and missile strikes, to set conditions for a larger offensive effort against Kharkiv city at a later date. "
Earlier, we reported that the offensive of the Russians in the Kharkiv Region slowed down.