2024-05-12 22:33:00
A Ukrainian “Grad” multiple rocket launcher on April 18 in Kharkiv oblast.
ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP
CARDS – While the heart of the fighting remains in the Donbass, the Russians have reopened a new front with the launch of an operation in the Kharkiv region.
The rumor had been buzzing for weeks: the Russians were regarding to open a new front by attacking the region of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, which had 1.5 million inhabitants before the war and which is located only 30 kilometers from the Russian border. It’s Friday, the day following the celebrations of “Victory Day” the 9-from, that the operation has been launched. At the end of the first day, the Ukrainians spoke of a Russian push a kilometer into the territory. This Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky still talks regarding “fierce fights” while the governor of the region announced the evacuation of 4,000 civilians. The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, claimed responsibility for “release” of 10 villages over the weekend.
It is difficult, at this stage, to measure the exact extent of the Russian advance. “Something is happening, it seems very important to be a simple feint, but the city of Kharkiv is too big for the Russians”explain…
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