Russians have aims to capture Kharkiv and Sumy

Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk, Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has stated in an interview with The Times that, according to Ukrainian special services, Russia has a plan to conquer the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy.

Source: Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, with reference to The Times

Quote: "Our special services say that the Russians really do have a plan to capture Kharkiv or Sumy, but we do not know how serious these plans are and whether they are able to implement them with the forces that they have at their disposal."

Details: Pavliuk also said the Russian forces intend to seize not only Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, but also Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

He reiterated that the Ukrainian Defence Forces will do everything possible to prevent the Russians from carrying out their intentions. The general stated that Ukraine requires weaponry, particularly artillery, as Russian troops have a ten-to-one superiority in artillery.

"We will do everything possible to prevent a Russian breakthrough, and we hope that American weapons will help us. Had they come on time, we would not have lost the territories that we lost over the past few months," he said.

Previously: Before that, Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in an interview with the Economist suggested that Russia was preparing for an offensive in Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts in Ukraine's north-east. Skibitskyi said that the timing of this operation depends on the strength of Ukraine's defences in Donbas. But he suggests that the main Russian offensive will begin "in late May or early June".

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