Russia penetrated Ukraine’s strategic defense line in Kharkov

“Units of the Western Army captured the village of Zapadnoye in Kharkov province, defeated the troops and destroyed much of the equipment of three mechanized brigades, one light infantry brigade of Ukraine in Kharkov and Donetsk oblast,” the Ministry of National Defense said. The Russian Chamber said in its update on the war situation on January 22.

Zapadnoye village is located about 4 km from the west bank of the Oskol River and about 10 km from the key city of Kupyansk, deep in an area considered Ukraine’s strategic defense line in Kharkov province.

The Ukrainian army has not commented on the information.

News agency AFP This is considered a significant progress of the Russian army since breaking through and establishing a bridgehead on the west bank of the Oskol River earlier this month. This also shows the growing problem that the Ukrainian army faces, as they run out of manpower and are overwhelmed by the enemy in terms of equipment.

The Oskol River flows from Russia through Kharkiv Oblast in northeastern Ukraine. Russian forces crossed the river quickly and easily during the beginning of the war, but were pushed back to the east bank after Ukraine’s lightning counterattack campaign at the end of 2022. The two sides continuously reinforced their defense lines along the river because of this. It is both a military barrier and a psychological blockade.

Meanwhile, Kupyansk is a strategic transportation city, connecting the railway and road networks in northeastern Ukraine, located in Ukraine’s key defense line in Kharkov province.

Western experts have warned that Ukrainian forces in Kharkov will fall into a “really bad” situation if Russia successfully crosses the Oskol River.

Andriy Besedin, head of Ukraine’s military agency in Kupyansk, said that Russian forces could take advantage of newly controlled positions on the west bank of the Oskol River as a springboard to flank and attack the rear of Ukrainian units. at the Kupyansk front.

The advance of Russian forces has gradually increased since August 2024, despite Ukraine suddenly launching a cross-border attack campaign against Kursk province. The last months of last year were the period when the Russian army advanced the fastest since March 2022, when they withdrew from the capital Kiev and northern Ukraine.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) on December 31, 2024 announced statistics on the war in Ukraine, showing that Russian forces in 2024 controlled an additional area with a total area of ​​3,985 km2, wide. 7 times more than the area they won in 2023.

Open source intelligence and geolocation data show that Russia holds more than 80% of the Donbass region, including Donetsk and Lugansk oblasts, 70% of the area of ​​Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, and 3% of the territory in Kharkov oblast.