Ukraine admits it cannot stop Russia's advance

The night of May 10 was marked by intense offensive operations on the Russian-Ukrainian border. Apparently, the Russian army launched an offensive in a new direction, in the Kharkiv region.

Mr. Zelensky announced that Russia has officially begun an offensive in the Kharkiv region. He added that although the Armed Forces of Ukraine were expecting such attacks, they did not know what reserves Russia was ready to use in this direction.

Ukrainian military sources admit the loss of large areas of territory. Ukrainian servicemen say that many units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were unable to stop the fierce attacks on the border.

Photo: Sputnik/Vitaliy Ankov

On the evening of May 10, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation took control of at least four villages in the border area and more than 40 square kilometers of territory north of Kharkiv region. Multiple sources from both Russia and Ukraine confirmed Russian control of the villages of Strelechye, Krasnoe, Pilnaya and Borisovka. Clearance operations with the support of artillery and aviation are underway in the areas that have been taken over.

Early in the morning, Russian forces began heavy shelling of military positions and various facilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the border area. Ukrainian military targets were attacked by Russian artillery, Iskander missiles and the Russian Aerospace Forces throughout the day.

The Russian military is conducting intense artillery bombardment aimed at destroying the infrastructure and reserves of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to ensure that the Russian military can advance further. Russian precision strikes are destroying bridges to limit the movement and supply of military equipment and logistical resources of the Ukrainian forces.

Satellite imagery has confirmed the destruction of the bridge over the Seversky Donets at the Old Saltovka dam in the Kharkiv region. The bridge was blown up during the Russian Armed Forces’ retreat in 2022, but the Ukrainian military has restored the strategically important facility and is actively using it to transport personnel and heavy weapons. The destruction of the bridge would disrupt the Ukrainian military’s logistical operations in this direction.

A video taken by a Russian reconnaissance drone also confirmed that a precision Russian airstrike destroyed a bridge over the Volchya River near the village of Zybino.

Another video released to the public also confirmed the first failure of the FrankenSAM air defense system near the village of Cherkasskaya Lozovaya, Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian military first used the FrankenSAM hybrid air defense system (a system that combines components of Soviet and Western weapons) in early 2024.

Battles were taking place in the settlements of Gatyshche, Borisovka, Gopovka, Krasnoe, Pylne, Zelenoe, Strelechye, Kudiyevka. Here the Russian forces were divided into small groups to fight.

According to Ukrainian military sources, up to 4-5 battalions of the Russian Armed Forces are operating on a front line 10 km wide and 3 km deep. Currently, Russia is deploying small groups of troops, but there are also significant reserves of the Northern Group to participate in the battle. Most likely, they will be brought to the front and will break through the main Ukrainian defense line.

On the Ukrainian side, Kiev forces are sending reserve units to reinforce defenses in the Kharkiv region. The reinforcement is necessary amid the ongoing fierce fighting.

Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jet. Photo: Reuters

At present, Russian forces continue to inflict damage on Ukrainian forces through heavy fire and have not yet made deep attacks. According to SF, it is likely that the attacks are aimed at creating a buffer zone to prevent artillery fire on Russian border areas, including Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk regions. Control of the border areas will certainly reduce the ability of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to conduct artillery operations on the border areas of the Russian Federation. This action will also likely force the Ukrainian army to mobilize units from other directions, making it difficult for Ukrainian defense lines.

HOA AN (According to SF, AVP)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/nong-okharkiv-ukraine-thua-nhan-khong-the-ngan-da-tien-cua-nga-a663101.html