Russian breakthrough in the Kharkiv area and the offensive on Vovchansk not only destabilise Ukraine’s defence, but also spark sharp criticism in the Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian media reports.
Prominent Ukrainian military expert Kostiantyn Mashovets was among those who reported on the fighting in Vovchansk.
Fighting is going on in the central part of Vovchansk. The enemy has apparently put additional forces and means into the battle on the Kharkiv operational direction.
The situation east of Vovchansk remains extremely tense. Russian troops may advance towards the villages of Volokhivka, Bochkove, Okhrimivka, Mala Vovcha, Varvarivka, Mykolaivka, and Budarky, according to Ukrainian media. If an attack is successful, Ukrainian troops will have to reconsider their defence plans, Ukrainian media informs.
Furthermore, the condition of Ukrainian soldiers is worsened by the approach of the Russian Sever (North) group of troops and heavy artillery, such as the TOS-1A Heavy Flamethrower System and Tulip self-propelled heavy mortars.
In another part of the front line, north of Kharkiv, the Russians advanced about ten kilometres towards the villages of Hlyboke and Lukiantsi, moving forward to Lyptsi.
Ukrainian Osint project Deep State also reports new Russian army advances in Vovchansk. The Russians are expanding their bridgehead from Ohirkove village to Hrafske village. Ukrainians fear that the Russian army could breach the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) defences after taking Starytsya and moving along key heights. This would also allow Russian forces to shackle Ukrainian reserves redeployed from other directions.
Political divisions
The atmosphere in the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) is also heating up. MP Mariana Bezuhla publicly criticised the commander-in-chief of the country’s Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, and his headquarters. She accused the general of “hiding the truth and splitting the units.” Earlier, she also blasted the military leadership with criticism.
Galushkin screwed up the defence of Kharkiv region. Sokolov has criminal proceedings on Chonhar and is now in charge of a section of the front. Lutsenko missed the Ocheretyne breakthrough at Pokrovsk and remains unpunished. No general is punished under either Zaluzhny or Syrskyi. Nothing has changed. General factions continue to ruin our future, and Syrskyi is part of the process.
However, Bezuhla did not stop with that. She went even further, calling Chief of the General Staff, Anatoliy Barhylevych, “Syrskyi’s minion.” The MP emphasised that the amount of bureaucratic work under his command had “doubled.”
Later she accused Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Oleksandr Pavliuk, of “imitating hectic activity”, stating that soldiers were not properly trained before being sent to brigades.
Moreover, Bezuhla criticised Commander of the Joint Forces, Yuriy Sodol. The MP accused him not only of appointing his men to high positions, but also of poor training before the battles in Kharkiv region and Avdiivka.
2014 did not bring to the restructuring of the headquarters of the AFU. The year 2022 did not lead to the reshaping of the AFU headquarters. If 2024 does not lead, we are finished.
