As of: April 8, 2024, 9:22 p.m
By: Sarah El Sheimy
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A major attack on the city of Kharkiv seems likely to many. New information suggests that Russia wants to make the city uninhabitable.
Kharkiv – A Russian offensive on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv has been on the horizon for some time. The border town is being massively attacked from the air by the Russian armed forces, media reports make assumptions. Meanwhile, information from military circles suggests that an attack on a new scale could actually be imminent - contrary to the president's statements.
Since December, Kharkiv has been hit by more ballistic missiles than at any time since the start of the war in Ukraine, reports
The Economist
. At the end of March, the shelling paralyzed the power supply in Kharkiv over a large area; a short time later, a glide bomb was used for the first time in the attack on the city and first responders were also repeatedly attacked.
The Economist
now speaks of military sources in Ukraine who say that Russia wants to turn Kharkiv into a “gray zone” uninhabitable for civilians.
Patriot anti-aircraft missiles fire Russian missiles over the Ukrainian capital Kiev on March 16, 2024. Kharkiv, the country's second largest city, is also increasingly targeting Russia. © IMAGO/Gabriel Romero/Zuma Wire
President Zelensky warns of a defeat for Ukraine in the war against Russia
“People won't leave because they have already left and then returned,” but Kharkiv's mayor is said to
have contradicted in an interview, according to
The Economist
. His city has managed to address its own electricity supply problems.
Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in a video conference that Ukraine would lose in the war against Russia. Military support from the United States, which the Republicans in the US Congress are blocking, is critical. Due to the constant air strikes by the Russian military, President Zelenskyj called on Ukrainian diplomats and international negotiators in a video message on Sunday to agree on supplies for Kharkiv's air defense capabilities with their partners. He spoke explicitly about the “Patriot” defense system from the USA.
Possibility of an attack on the border city of Kharkiv: a propaganda ploy?
According to
The Economist,
there are clear signs that Russia is preparing a major summer offensive. A Ukrainian source with intelligence information spoke of around 120,000 soldiers that Russia is training in eastern Siberia. It is unclear whether Kharkiv would be an explicit target in a large-scale attack.
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A fire at an electrical substation after a rocket attack in Kharkiv on March 22, 2024. © SERGEY BOBOK/AFP
According to The Kyiv Independent,
President Zelensky
initially reassured on Saturday: "Kharkiv is not in danger today." In addition, Ukrainian military intelligence described the possibility of an attack on the city as Russia's psychological strategy. There is no concrete indication that Moscow is preparing for a ground offensive.
Civilians in Kharkiv: evacuation of the city under discussion
The Ukrainian president also announced that the construction of new defense lines will be completed in a few months, reports
The Kyiv Independent
. Ukraine is currently building defenses across the country to protect against a Russian offensive.
Nevertheless, the possibility of evacuating people from the north is being discussed in the Kharkiv region, reports the Ukrainian news agency
Unian
. The governor of the Kharkiv region spoke about this in a broadcast. Specifically, these are the Kharkiv and Bogodukhiv districts.
(ses/dpa)