Ukraine assured Friday May 24 that it had “ stopped » the Russian assault on the Kharkiv region, underway for two weeks, and having started a counterattack in this sector of the northeast of its territory. Russia seized several localities in the area and forced Ukraine to deploy valuable reinforcements in the area.
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Residents of the Kharkiv region may experience some relief. After two weeks of fighting in the Kharkiv region, “ Ukrainian defense forces stopped Russian troops ” And ” carry out counter-offensive actions », In any case affirmed Colonel Igor Prokhorenko on Friday May 24.
This head of the Ukrainian army general staff still describes the situation as “ difficult ” but “ stable and under control » while clashes had been taking place for several days for control of the city of Vovtchansk, cut in two and where kyiv accused Russian forces of abuses. “ The enemy is completely bogged down in street fighting in Vovchansk and has suffered very significant losses », General Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, added on Friday, affirming that Moscow was sending “ reserves » to continue his assault.
Before these statements, again on Thursday, around fifteen missiles struck Ukraine’s second largest city, located just 30 kilometers from the Russian border, causing the death of seven civilians and injuring 16 others. And regional rail infrastructure, vital for the economy and travel in a country deprived of air connections for more than two years, was also damaged during the night from Thursday to Friday.
“ I got used to explosions »
Despite the risks and pressure of the fighting near Kharkiv, an evacuation of the city is not on the agenda. Barbara, 18, was in Kharkiv when the Russians opened a new front in the region. Busy working on her computer, “ suddenly there was a huge explosion, it was terrible », she relates to the special envoys of RFI in kyiv, Nathanaël Vittrant And Bertrand Haekler. The law student at Kharkiv National University has just spent a few days in Poland and count well “ to return » in Kharkiv for « finish [s]first year “. For her, there is no question of leaving Kharkiv, although her mother is worried about her safety and would like her to “ go to study in Lviv, in the west of the country “. “ Honestly, I got used to the explosions and this life. It’s scary, but I love this city “, she confides.
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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he would be in Kharkiv on Friday for meetings on the “ defense of the region “. “ Our soldiers were able to regain the initiative in the fighting in the border area where the Russian occupiers entered “, he assured.
According to kyiv, the Russia seeks to extend to breaking point the defensive lines of the Ukrainian forces, weakened by two years of war, the lack of new recruits and shortages of weapons due to months of Western procrastination.
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Precious American aid and its Atacms missiles
Faced with this situation, the UNITED STATES announced on Friday the sending of a new tranche of 275 million dollars in arms for “ help theUkraine to repel the Russian offensive near Kharkiv “. kyiv can also count on other weapons recently delivered by the Americans to secure other parts of the front: the ATACMS (Army TACtical Missile SystemArmy Tactical Missile System), a particularly effective tactical surface-to-surface missile.
Washington had already supplied Atacms to Ukraine, whose range did not exceed 160 kilometers. This time, it is the most modern version with a range of 300 kilometers and a much greater load which is arriving at the front.
Thanks to this rocket artillery of formidable precision, the Ukrainians, reminds aeronautical expert Xavier Tytelman Franck Alexandrea journalist specializing in defense issues at RFI, managed to destroy a minesweeper in the port of Sevastopol on May 19 and to neutralize an S400 defense system on May 23 whose value exceeds one billion euros.
The effect of Atacms is “ Very important », underlines Xavier Tytelman, since he “ reduces Russian air defense ”, which contributes to “ prepare for the arrival of fighter planes, the F-16 “. However, ” if the Ukrainians want to stop the flow of material, men, equipment and ammunition, they should be able to strike deep », continues the analyst. In other words, using these weapons on Russian territory, which the Americans currently do not allow, for fear of an escalation, which slows down “ the strategic effect » of the Atacms.
President Zelensky is stepping up his efforts to get the Europeans and Americans to authorize him to use the weapons provided to strike army rear bases on Russian territory. For its part, Russia, which has put its arms industry in battle order, declared on Friday that it was preparing a visit by President Vladimir Putin to North Korea, a country already suspected of supplying thousands of tonnes shells and other munitions to Russia.