Ukrainian Armed Forces liberate 23 towns and villages in Kharkiv Oblast in 2 weeks

Denys Karlovskyi – Thursday, 19 May 2022, 16:08

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have liberated 23 Russian-occupied towns and villages in Kharkiv Oblast since 5 May.

Source: Ukrinform, citing Oleksiy Hromov, Brigade General and Deputy Head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

Quote from Hromov: "As of 5 May, 23 Russian-occupied towns and villages have been liberated in Kharkiv Oblast. The enemy is trying to hinder the advance of our troops.

Russia continues shelling Chernihiv and Sumy Oblasts to prevent us from advancing on the main fronts.

The enemy continues to focus efforts on hostilities in the east of our country. Russia claims that the goal of the so-called second phase of the special operation remains unchanged: to extend the occupation of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts to their administrative borders.

To this end, units of enemy troops are attempting to conduct an offensive along the entire Donetsk front. Supported by aircraft, they are deploying mortars, artillery systems, and multiple rocket launchers in an attempt to inflict losses on and exhaust our troops and to destroy our defence fortifications."

Details: General Hromov added that fighting continues on the Sievierodonetsk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Kurakhove fronts. According to him, the Russian troops’ offensive potential is gradually diminishing.

Russian troops continue to threaten an offensive on other fronts in order to prevent the transfer of Ukrainian forces to the Donetsk front.

There is still the threat of Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities from the waters of the Black and Azov seas. Russian troops also continue staging preparations for naval landing operations in order to provoke and distract Ukrainian forces.

Background:

• The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on the morning of 19 May that Russian troops unsuccessfully attempted to conduct an offensive on 4 fronts and suffered significant losses as a result.
• As of the morning of 19 May, Russia has lost 28,500 military personnel, 203 planes, 1,254 tanks, 3,064 armoured combat vehicles, 595 artillery systems, and 199 multiple rocket launchers in the war with Ukraine.

The Pentagon has said that the ambitions of the Russian army and the scale of its military activity in Ukraine have significantly diminished.