NEW YORK, May 13. /TASS/. The Ukrainians are facing a very tenuous situation against the backdrop of the Russian military’s breakthrough in the Kharkov Region, Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army, told CNN in an interview, as he said that Ukraine will have to commit more forces amid Russia’s latest ground offensive.

"The Russians are opening up an additional front, putting Ukrainians under more stress about where they put their ground forces, their artillery and air defenses, which are already under tremendous stress," the military expert said as he suggested that Russia intends to form buffer zones "in Ukraine itself" to prevent potential Ukrainian long-range attacks. According to Ryan, Ukraine has some reserves but it is stretching it "very-very thin indeed."

On May 11, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported liberating several populated localities in Ukraine’s northeastern region. Vitaly Ganchev, head of the regional military-civilian administration, told TASS that Ukrainian troops dug in near Kharkov but have to retreat under the onslaught of Russian forces.