What is the reason for the decline of the Ukrainian army in the eastern battlefield? The prevailing opinion is that the lack of weapons and ammunition for the Ukrainian army is due to the untimely Western military assistance. However, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt said that the biggest problem facing the Ukrainian army at the moment is the lack of trained soldiers, which cannot be solved by the aid approved by the US Congress. The information compiled from various sources shows that although the Ukrainian military has repeatedly relaxed the conditions for conscription, it is still unable to meet the needs of combat soldiers on the front line.
Starting on May 9, in the Kharkiv direction, the Russian army launched an offensive against the border towns of Kharkiv in Ukraine bordering Belgorod Oblast, and that night the Russian Air Force bombed the city of Kharkiv and key targets in Kharkiv Oblast. Local Ukrainian media said that on the same day, Russian reconnaissance drones appeared frequently over Kharkiv Oblast, and the number hit a record. Under the guidance of reconnaissance drones, Russian Air Force bombers have dropped hundreds of GAB-500-54 and FAB-1500 precision-guided bombs.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Pavlyuk, said that at the moment the Russian army fires seven times more shells on the entire front than the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and locally up to 20 times. Especially in the face of the "terrifying scene" of 500-kilogram and 1500-kilogram giant aerial bombs of Russian bombers, the Ukrainian troops on the front line were frightened. Ukrainians admit that Ukrainian forces in Volchansk, southeast of Kharkiv, are rapidly withdrawing, blowing bridges and laying mines. With the fire support of the Air Force, the Russian army used only 4 battalions to open up a control zone (60 square kilometers) with a length of 15 kilometers and a depth of 4 kilometers.
In the operation on the night of May 9, the Russian army captured more than 20 prisoners, and at the same time, the formed Ukrainian army voluntarily surrendered to the Russian army. A Ukrainian soldier posted a video on social platforms in which their unit unanimously decided to abandon the fight and surrender to the Russian army through a democratic vote. According to the analysis, the location of the video should be located in the Volchansk region, southeast of Kharkiv. The lethal effect of such videos on the morale of the Ukrainian army can be imagined. In fact, a few months ago, the great rout of the Ukrainian army in Avadiivka began with the flight of the lowest soldiers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on the 9th that the Ukrainian military reported to him today that fighting was breaking out on the entire front line, especially in the three directions of Pokrovsky, Kharkiv and Bakhmut. The Ukrainian army can now only selectively throw in reinforcements, and when the Kharkiv crisis breaks out, the danger of Chasov Yar in western Bakhmut will have no time to take into account. The commander of the Ukrainian Army, Alexander Pavlyuk, said that "Chasov Yar is an ordinary urban settlement, and his loss will not play a decisive role." "In fact, they are pumping forces from this direction to reinforce the defense of Kharkov.