On May 10th, Putin's army launched a surprise attack in Ukraine's northeastern province, making significant progress within days. Ukraine's military had secretly fortified its northern border in anticipation of this new invasion in Kharkiv province.
During the period from May 9th to 15th, Kremlin forces seized 278 square kilometers (107 square miles), marking their most substantial gains since late 2022.
Ukrainian President Zelensky acknowledged that Russian forces had advanced 5 to 10 kilometers (3-6 miles) along the northeastern border but had been halted. However, Kyiv had anticipated the attack and moved troops from Kupiansk to reinforce the border defenses.
Soldiers from the 57th Brigade's artillery unit, in an interview with Sky News' Deborah Haynes, described how they were covertly transferred to the Kharkiv border region just days before the Russian offensive. The unit commander reported that Russian forces were "brazenly" amassing near the border, leading to intense tank exchanges.
Sasha, a soldier from the unit, recounted a fierce battle as Russian infantry advanced, supported by airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery fire. "For the first few days, they [the Russians] were storming our positions - columns of 30 to 50 soldiers. We were hitting them." Another soldier admitted there were moments of doubt about holding the frontline.
Although the situation has stabilized, the Ukrainian trooper cautioned, "We don't know how long it could be like this."
Reports indicate that Ukraine failed to establish proper defensive lines before the attack, allowing Putin's army to advance with little resistance. A commander of a Ukrainian Special Reconnaissance Unit told the BBC's Jonathan Beale that no defensive lines had been set up. Denys Yaroslavskyi stated, "There was no first line of defence. We saw it. The Russians just walked in. They just walked in, without any mined fields."
He criticized the authorities, suggesting that the promised defenses were either not built due to negligence or corruption. "Either it was an act of negligence or corruption. It wasn’t a failure. It was a betrayal."
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