NEW YORK, May 19. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces proved unprepared to resist the Russian offensive the Kharkov direction due to the lack of resources, the New York Times reported.
According to the newspaper, the Russian army "punched across Ukraine’s northern border with such speed and force" that Ukraine’s "meager fortifications" practically posed "almost no obstacle." "Some Ukrainian soldiers, caught totally by surprise, fell back from their positions," the New York Times said.
It also emphasized that Russia had "a huge advantage in artillery shells," adding that "depleted Ukrainian air defenses" were unable to counter Russian air power. The offensive exposed the problems of the exhausted Ukrainian troops, the New York Times said. For example, some defensive fortifications were "insufficient" or "sloppily constructed," and the command did not send new troops from the reserves to this section of the front, but transferred troops from other areas. The reason for this is that the Ukrainian armed forces has "few reserves to deploy," the newspaper said. Representatives of the Ukrainian military leadership told it on condition of anonymity that "the situation in the Kharkov Region was critical" for the Ukrainian military.
Kiev recognizes that the situation in the Kharkov Region is extremely tense for Ukrainian troops. On May 14, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that the Ukrainian troops had been forced to "move to more favorable positions" near Volchansk and Lukyantsy. The military leadership also reported the transfer of additional reserves to the region. At the same time, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky admitted that some of these units were being withdrawn from other directions. He held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Council in Kharkov on May 16 and called this direction extremely difficult. At the same time, a scandal is developing in Ukraine after a number of Ukrainian soldiers made statements about the complete unpreparedness of the fortification lines in the Kharkov Region and linked this to the failures of the Ukrainian army in this area.
Kiev recognizes that the situation in the Kharkov Region is extremely tense for Ukrainian troops. On May 14, the Ukrainian General Staff reported that the Ukrainian troops had been forced to "move to more favorable positions" near Volchansk and Lukyantsy. The military leadership also reported the transfer of additional reserves to the region. At the same time, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky admitted that some of these units were being withdrawn from other directions. He held a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Council in Kharkov on May 16 and called this direction extremely difficult.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on May 18 that the battlegroup North had liberated the village of Staritsa in the Kharkov Region as a result of active actions and continued to advance deep into enemy defenses.