Situation stabilising in Kharkiv Oblast, Russians didn’t enter Sumy Oblast – Ukraine's intelligence chief

Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's Defence Intelligence chief, has said that the situation with the Russian invasion in Kharkiv Oblast has stabilised. Defence Forces will be pushing the Russians out of the territory, and there is currently no escalation observed in Sumy Oblast.

Source: Budanov on the air of the national joint 24/7 newscast on 14 May 

Quote: "Currently, the phase of the Russian border operation in Kharkiv Oblast is ongoing. To say that the enemy has achieved significant success would be untrue. However, it is important to remember that the situation is quite tense and changes very rapidly. Nevertheless, as of yesterday evening, in my opinion, a rapid trend towards stabilisation has emerged.

In essence, the enemy has already been blocked at the frontiers where they managed to penetrate, and the operation of the Ukrainian Defence Forces continues for further stabilisation and the beginning of pushing the enemy beyond our state borders. 

As for Sumy Oblast, the Russians actually planned a similar operation from the very beginning in this area as well. Currently, they maintain small groupings of forces at the border (the town of Sudzha from the side of the Russian Federation), but the situation has not yet allowed them to engage in active actions and implement their plan."

Details: Asked when the Russians might begin to retreat, Budanov stated that they won't retreat on their own; they need to be forced out. Therefore, the fighting will continue. At the same time, Budanov emphasised that the situation, as of now, "is not catastrophic."

He added that the main goal of the current Russian operation at the border is psychological and information operations aimed at creating chaos and panic.

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