Russia Continues to Claim Gains in Kharkiv Region

Facts

• Russia has claimed it's making additional gains in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv this week — territory whose control has already traded hands multiple times throughout the 17-month-old war.¹
• Russia took control of vast swaths of the region following the outset of the conflict, but failed to reach Kharkiv city. In September, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise counteroffensive and took back most of the territory held by Russia there in lightning speed.²
• Earlier in the week, as Ukraine waged a renewed counteroffensive effort — namely in the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia — Russia has sought to claw back territory in Kharkiv. A Russian defense ministry statement on Monday claimed to have advanced 1.9 miles (3 km) along a front that's 6.8 miles (11 km) wide in the region.³
• Late on Tuesday, Vitaly Ganchev, Russia's head of the military administration in Kharkiv, claimed that additional advances were made in the past week. "In recent days, five settlements have been added to the territories of the Kharkiv region that are under our control," he said.¹
• On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials announced that a program of mandatory evacuation of children was now underway in a number of areas of the Kharkiv region. "We must do everything to ensure that civilians do not suffer," Iryna Vereshchuk, a Ukrainian minister, said.⁴
• Meanwhile, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy defense minister, acknowledged that fighting was intensifying in the Kharkiv region, namely near the city of Kupiansk. She said: "I can assure you that we are also taking appropriate measures to resist the enemy and prevent them from advancing along the offensive line."⁵

Sources: ¹TASS, ²Euractiv, ³Guardian, ⁴UKRINFORM (a), and ⁵UKRINFORM (b).

Narratives

• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. As Ukraine continues to expend vast resources on its counteroffensive, it has left the Kharkiv region exposed and Russian forces are now making vast advances there. They have taken five settlements in the past few days.
• Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrinform. The intensity of fighting is heating up in the Kharkiv region. However, Ukrainian forces continue to take actions to stabilize and repel the Russian assault. Meanwhile, Ukraine continues to enjoy success in the southern regions.

Predictions