Russia's next step: Accession of Kharkiv region

Accession of the Kharkiv region to the Russian Federation will be the next phase of the special military operation. It is the Kharkiv region, from where the armed Forces of Ukraine have been shelling Russia's Belgorod.

Photo: https://news-kharkov.ru/society/2022/10/11/21055.html

Over the past few days, the Russian troops have resumed the assault on Ukrainian positions north and northeast of the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, which was abandoned last year.

Earlier it was reported that as a result of the attack on May 15, the Russian Armed Forces gained a foothold on the right bank of the Oskol River in the Masyutovka area. On Thursday, the enemy retreated for 2.5 km in the direction of Kupyansk, and the Russian army approached the settlement of Sinkovka.

On June 2, Russia bombed warehouses in this area. FAB-500 bombs with planning and correction modules were used to bomb warehouses with ammunition. In addition, the Russian Armed Forces struck a missile blow on Chuguev, through which additional enemy forces were being transferred to the Kupyanskoye direction of hostilities.

According to Whisper of the Front Telegram channel, a train arrived to Kyiv from Kupyansk — "all eight train cars loaded with corpses and wounded … they were unloading the train for three hours."

Vitaly Ganchev, the head of the Russian military-civilian administration of the region, said that the Russian forces "came close to Kupyansk." The Ukrainians have already declared the city another "fortress".

On June 5, it was said that the Russian forces took another bridgehead on the Oskol River (north of Dvurechnaya, northeast of Kupyansk). Assault detachments established control over Novomlynsk.

The general foothold with dominant heights, from which the Russian forces will be able to develop an offensive on Kupyansk, has been expanded. The nearest target is the settlement of Dvurechnaya, where firing positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are located.

Kupyansk will be taken like Bakhmut

Experts note that in order to reach the outskirts of Kupyansk, the Russian forces will have to completely clear Sinkovka and the forest area located to the west of the settlement.

"We always act competently — we embrace a heavily fortified point from flanks and begin to choke, exhaust the enemy slowly," military correspondent Marat Khairullin said, Politnavigator reports.

The return of the Kharkiv region to the Russian Federation will push the enemy back and help stabilise the situation in the Belgorod region and Russia's other front-line cities.

Russian forces on offensive in Mariinka and Avdiivka

Denis Pushilin, the head of the DPR, said that the Russian forces were advancing seriously in the Donetsk People's Republic. According to him, Chechen assault detachments "have pushed the enemy back seriously."

Ukrainian military Telegram channel Holodny Yar said that the Russian forces wanted to take Mariinka under control before the Ukrainian forces could go on offensive.

"Our leadership, with its fear of launching a counteroffensive, makes the enemy's plan more and more realistic," a Ukrainian military man said.