Since the Russian army launched its offensive against Kharkiv, progress has been quite rapid; Its intention is not to attack Kharkiv directly, because a large city with a population of one million is not something that the current soldiers of the Russian army's northern cluster can eat.
Its real purpose is to create a security zone on the periphery of Belgorod and reduce the threat of the Ukrainian army to the Russian mainland; At the same time, it attracts reinforcements from the reserves of the Ukrainian army and creates conditions for the offensive on other fronts.
The Ukrainian side is well aware of this intention of the Russian army.
Judging from the statements of the generals of the Ukrainian army now, they are not overly worried about the Russian army's direct attack on the city of Kharkiv, but they feel very troubled about blocking the current offensive of the Russian army, especially the need to occupy and mobilize a large number of reserve mobile forces.
For example, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, General Budanov, believes that Russia's attack in the northeast is aimed at further thinning Ukraine's already thin reserves of soldiers and drawing them away from other fronts.
Budanov admits that this is exactly what is happening now. The Ukrainian army is trying to move troops from other frontline areas in order to strengthen its defenses in the northeast, but it is difficult to find suitable personnel.
And Budanov is also worried that the Russian army will do the same in the Sumy direction, and the task of the Ukrainian army is to stabilize the front and then drive the Russian army back to the border.
According to the current offensive capabilities of the Ukrainian army, it is unlikely that the Russian army will be driven back to the border, especially since the Russian army is now announcing the capture of the settlements of Kharkiv with great fanfare, which is a manifestation of staying there.
And if it is difficult to solve the problem of offensive reconquest, the practical problem considered by the Ukrainian army is to hold the current front and not to retreat again.
As mentioned earlier, the Ukrainian army is currently in the direction of the attack of the Russian army on the western road and has not lost all the fortified areas; In the direction of the Russian offensive on the eastern road, Voltsk is still fighting fiercely.
Therefore, after the current increase in the Ukrainian army, at least the purpose of slowing down the speed of the Russian army's assault can still be achieved, and the latter does not necessarily have to attack under the city of Kharkov.
But the trouble is that the Ukrainian army needs a large number of troops to stabilize the front, but they are all fresh forces drawn from other fronts. The Ukrainian army has only six or seven newly formed infantry brigades and four or five brigades under the command of the Marine Corps.
What's more serious is that the southern and central clusters of the Russian army have obviously been resting and regrouping in recent times, and the Russian troops in other clusters have a large number of mobile troops in their hands because they have not shouldered the main offensive task.
If the Ukrainian army transfers the main mobile forces of the existing front to Kharkov to block the gap, but the Russian army on other fronts suddenly launches a summer offensive, can the Ukrainian army stabilize the situation on all fronts?
Objectively speaking, this is unlikely.
Moreover, it is difficult for the newly approved aid from the United States to play a role immediately, and it will take a certain amount of time for it to show its effect, will the Russian army give the Ukrainian army this chance?
Therefore, what the Ukrainian army is worried about now is not the safety of the city of Kharkiv, but the follow-up reaction that the reserves may trigger if they are exhausted. Of course, before this series of reactions appears, it will depend on how well this wave of defensive warfare in Kharkov is fought, otherwise it will be even more troublesome.