Putin wants to “drive out the residents” with a new offensive

On Friday night, the Russian military launched a massive ground offensive in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. The Russian army advanced in two places: 35 kilometers north of Kharkiv and five kilometers north of the small town of Volsansk. The Russians now occupy many Ukrainian villages.

The Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow confirmed the attack. Their statements agree with unofficial information from Ukraine. Russia already tried to seize Kharkov in 2022.

On the first day of the new offensive, the Kremlin lost seven to ten armored vehicles and 50 to 100 soldiers. This is shown by video recordings of the Ukrainian army. According to Russian information, Russian soldiers captured 34 Ukrainian troops.

What is the Kremlin’s goal in this offensive in the Ukraine war? “Putin wants to destabilize the border region,” Niko Lange tells “Bild”. He is a former chief of staff of the German Ministry of Defense. “Putin wants to bomb, pressure and evict residents.”

With the new attacks, Putin wants to make life difficult for people in the region and trigger a wave of refugees. If he takes the city, it will be easier for him during the next big invasion. However, the military expert insists: “Putin’s forces are not enough to capture Kharkiv.”

Professor Thomas Jaeger, a Russia expert from the University of Cologne, shares the latter opinion: “It is questionable whether this is possible with the available troops, which are estimated at around 50,000. “It depends on how you defend yourself,” Jagger told “Build.”

Jager has two other theories: The Russian military wants to push back Ukrainian forces to create a buffer along the Russian border. Or at some point pressure should be increased to get Ukraine to withdraw troops.

Jager sees one reason for Putin’s current actions in the depleted material situation in the Ukrainian armed forces. “That opened a window of opportunity,” Jagger said.

The expert emphasizes: “If Russia succeeds in taking it or makes a breakthrough somewhere else on the front, it will be a victory for Russia.” On the one hand, Russia will seize new territories in the Ukraine war. It will also be made clear that “all the support of the West cannot save Ukraine from defeat.”