Journalists of The Economist, citing sources close to Ukrainian intelligence, note that the criminal army of the Russian Federation is currently training 120,000 soldiers in Eastern Siberia, which it can use in an attempt to capture Kharkiv.
Can the Russian army attempt to seize Kharkiv?
Analysts of the publication emphasize that the prospects of the occupation army of the Russian Federation attempting to seize Kharkiv look very doubtful.
Russia is currently training six divisions (approximately 120,000 military personnel) in Eastern Siberia. On April 3, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced that Russia would mobilize another 300,000 in June. Kharkiv is one of several possible directions of the future assault, the publication emphasizes.
Experts emphasize that the probability that Russian war criminals will resort to storming Kharkiv is not very high, but Kremlin propaganda is actively discussing this topic.
At the same time, the authors of the material assume that this can also be exclusively an information campaign by the Kremlin.
The criminal army of the Russian Federation was already defeated when it tried to capture Kharkiv at the beginning of the invasion in 2022, when the city had much worse defenses.
To carry out such an operation, the Russian army would have to break through the defenses of the Ukrainian military and create conditions for encircling the city.
It would also involve the need for air superiority with the prospect of further fighting in the city itself.
Analysts of the publication emphasize that Russia simply does not have the resources to carry out such an operation.
There is a high probability that they will not succeed in any of this, — noted former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Andriy Zahorodniuk.
Kharkiv businessman Denys Yaroslavskyi, who currently commands the intelligence unit of special forces, holds the same opinion.
They will not be able to take Kharkiv, but it is possible to destroy it. We would talk about something like Aleppo, — emphasizes the businessman and military man.
Russia seeks to turn Kharkiv into a gray area
It is noted that in addition to strikes on the energy infrastructure, Russia is carrying out chaotic strikes with guided aerial bombs on the second most populous city in Ukraine.
At the same time, the Russians resort to the vile "double strike" tactic, when the second strike is inflicted on the rescuers, police and medics who arrived at the scene of the first strike.
Military sources in Kyiv claim that Russia has decided to make the city a "grey zone" unsuitable for civilians, the publication emphasizes.
The publication notes that Kharkiv residents themselves are leaving the city little by little. Residents are frightened by constant rocket and bomb attacks, and systematic energy shortages are also a problem for businesses.
Against this background, the city authorities report on the opening of the city's first specially built underground school for 900 students.
