Kharkiv Update — US Weapons Can Make A Difference - May 15/2024
Damion Davis
Russia intensifies attacks around Kharkiv
Ukraine is expecting Russia to throw many of it’s resources at the front line, trying to advance through Kharkiv.
Kyiv's forces are on edge because they are out gunned by Russian troops, Spy Chief General Kyrylo Budanov said Russian troops intend to exhaust Ukrainian troops to thin reserves across the frontline.
Six villages have been taken by Russian troops in the last week, advancing through the northeastern border region.
This caused thousands of residents to flee.
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State had made a surprise visit to Kyiv. He reassured Ukrainian President Zelensky about the US military aid is on it’s way, which has been long delayed.
With the US military aid, it can make a real difference on the battlefield.
President Biden had signed a $60 billion aid package last month for Ukraine, there has been Republican party blocking the aid, causing long delayed aid that should have reach Ukraine months ago.
Because of the delay, Ukrainian troops have been rationing the use of artillery shells on the frontline. This has created a chance for Russian troops to push forward, gaining ground they have been wanting to take.
Kharkiv region has become under pressure due to how stretched out things are, officials have made clear how bad it is.
“All of our forces are either here [around Kharkiv] or in Chasiv Yar,” Gen Budanov said, referring to a stronghold about 120 miles south of Kharkiv in the eastern Donetsk region, which is also under an intense assault by Russia.
“I’ve used everything we have. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone else in the reserves,” Gen Budanov told the New York Times.
30,000 Russian Troops are advancing/attacking Kharkiv, 50,000 Russian troops are along the border.
It’s clear Moscow is trying to take Kharkiv or destroy it. After the first attempt to take the city in 2022, the advance had failed. Western intelligence officials have claimed, it’s unlikely Russian troops have the combat power to take the city.
Defense officials in Kyiv believe Russia intends to thin out the front lines, with Ukrainian troops not having the resources to defend. This could possibly create a buffer zone, about 10 miles, on the Ukrainian side of the border.
Russian force air strikes on Kharkiv city, the lastest on Tuesday. A high-rise resistance building was hit, sadly 15 people were injured, along with 2 kids. Local officials reported, it’s unclear what weapon was used in the strike but it landed on the 10th floor of the 12 floor building.
Rescue teams are searching for the injured.
One person has been taken to hospital in serious condition…
President Zelensky addressed on Monday evening that reinforcements have been sent to Kharkiv but has not forgotten about the rest of the battlefield.
“We understand the enemy’s actions and their plan to divert our forces,” he said. “Of course, we do not leave the Donetsk direction without the necessary support and supplies. Our task is crystal clear: to thwart Russia’s attempt to expand the war.”
Mr Blinken admitted long-anticipated military aid was arriving at a “challenging time” for Kyiv during a surprise visit on Tuesday.
“We know this is a challenging time. But we also know that in the near term the assistance is now on the way, some of it has already arrived. And that’s going to make a real difference against the ongoing Russian aggression on the battlefield.”
The trip was to “send a strong signal of reassurance to the Ukrainians who are obviously in a very difficult moment”, said a US official.
There was talks between Mr. Blinken and Ukraine’s foreign minster Dmytro Kuleba, had coffee with civial society representives in Kyiv.
But Mr Zelensky urged the US to provide two more air defence systems to protect Kharkiv.
Addressing Mr Blinken in English, Mr Zelensky said air defence supplies were “the biggest deficit for us”, with Russia conducting long-range aerial attacks since March that have hit electricity facilities and caused blackouts.
“Really we need today two Patriots for Kharkiv, for Kharkiv region because there the people are under attack. Civilians, warriors, everybody, they are under Russian missiles.”
France will be delivering extra military aid to Ukraine in the coming days/weeks, President Emmanuel Marcon spoke with President Zelensky over the phone.
“The president of the republic reiterated France’s determination to provide all the necessary support… He was also able to detail the deliveries for the coming days and weeks in support of the Ukrainian military effort,” the president’s office said in a statement.
There is a call for more artillery shells to be sent to the frontlines by Ukraine’s Defence Minister.
“We need more artillery shells as Russia is still many times ahead,” Mr Umerov told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2024 in an online address. “Under such conditions, it’s extremely difficult to hold the ground.”
Lo, there do I see my father. Lo, there do I see my mother, and my sisters, and my brothers. Lo, there do I see the line of my people, Back to the beginning Lo, they do call to me. They bid me take my place among them, In the halls of Valhalla, Where the brave may live forever!
Thank you all for reading, I write about the news happening across the world because it affects all of us. In many ways, we may not see, it affects the rest of the world. Everyone deserves to know what is going on.
Prayers go out to those fighting on the front lines, to the families that await fathers, sons, uncles, nephews, and brothers to return home.
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