According to the Secretary of the National Security Council Oleksandr Lytvynenko, in the worst case scenario, the occupation army of the Russian Federation will try to do to Kharkiv what it did to the Syrian city of Aleppo in 2016.
Points of attention
- In the worst-case scenario, the Russian Federation will try to do the same to Kharkiv as it did to Aleppo in 2016.
- Ukraine's use of Western weapons can help protect Kharkiv from invaders' attacks.
- The situation in Kharkiv is tense, and risks for the city may remain after the war's end.
- The withdrawal of Russian troops from the border can reduce the level of terror in the border strip.
- Ukraine's obtaining permission to use long-range missiles up to 300 km can solve the issue of impact on critical objects on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Can the Russian army turn Kharkiv into Aleppo?
The Secretary of the National Security Council noted that in the Syrian Aleppo, the criminal army destroyed critical infrastructure, in particular, the power grid and water supply, as a result of aerial bombardments.
Schools and hospitals were destroyed. As a result of the attacks of the Russian army, the city's population decreased to a third of its pre-war level.
They simply displaced people. This is what they want to practice around Kharkiv, Lytvynenko explains.
How will permission for Ukraine to hit Russia's territory with Western weapons affect the situation in Kharkiv and the region
According to military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko on the national newscast, the Western allies allowed Ukraine to use its weapons for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation for three reasons.
In 2022, our partners did not even discuss the issue of such permission for Ukraine to use Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation, it was generally taboo. Now we see how the general perception of the Russian threat is changing. Russia is seen more as a terrorist state that engages in genocide and does not have a serious potential to threaten NATO countries. The second factor is the increase in terror in Kharkiv itself, targeted strikes on civilian objects, targeted genocide of the population. And the third factor — if this permission had been granted earlier, all this terror would not have happened, because we could have worked ahead of schedule, the analyst emphasised.
According to him, the decision of the partners will allow Ukraine to protect Kharkiv from the constant attacks of the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
Kharkiv cannot sleep peacefully until the war is over. And even after the end of the war, there are risks that there will be no peace for Kharkiv residents for some time. This applies not only to Kharkiv, but also to the entire border strip. This can reduce the level of terror, move Russian units away from the border, Kovalenko explained.
According to him, currently, the Ukrainian military does not have the opportunity to strike at key airfields on the territory of the aggressor country. However, this issue is being resolved.
There are airfields in the 50-kilometer zone deep into the territory of the Russian Federation, but they are not often used for combat missions. Deeper into the territory of the Russian Federation are the same Morozovsk, Shaykovka, they must be struck. Tactical aircraft — Su-34, strategic — Tu-22M3, etc. are based there. But here we have to get permission for the full functionality of long-range missiles up to 300 km. So far, we have not received such permission, we are limited to 50 km, — the analyst emphasises.
