Russian Forces Shifting to the Offensive Near Kharkov

Aug. 11, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—The major news on the war front is Russian advances in the direction of Kupyansk in the Kharkov region. The battle reports suggest that Russian forces on the northern end of the front are changing over from defensive to offensive operations. What this will mean for Ukrainian operations on the rest of the front, particularly in Kherson and Zaporozhye in the south, remains to be seen.

Military analyst Yuri Podolyak reported on his Telegram channel yesterday that the Russian offensive near Kupyansk “is developing quite successfully and on a broad front. This does not give the enemy the opportunity to concentrate reserves in one area, and artillery and aviation power devastates the ranks of the enemy and forces him to transfer more and more reinforcements here, which has already led to essentially curtailing the attempts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to regain control of Artemovsk” (what Ukrainians call Bakhmut).

The Press Center Chief of Zapad Group of Forces reported this morning that Russian forces of the 6th Combined-Arms Army captured two enemy strongholds, five observation posts and destroyed one enemy platoon near Olshana in the Kharkov region. They also repelled five counterattacks from the Ukrainian side.