The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) were not ready to resist the advance of the Russian armed forces in the Kharkiv area due to lack of resources, writes the newspaper The New York Times.
Because of the "speed and power" Russian army "scarce defensive fortifications" Ukraine has not put any obstacles in the way of the Russian armed forces, and some Ukrainian soldiers left their positions, being “completely surprised”, the publication states.
The paper noted Russia's “enormous advantage in artillery”, adding that “depleted Ukrainian air defenses” could not resist the actions of Russian aviation. The offensive exposed the problems facing Ukraine's depleted armed forces, notes The New York Times. Some defensive fortifications turn out to be “insufficient” or were “carelessly raised”, moreover, the command did not deploy new forces from the reserve in this sector of the front, but transferred there forces from other sectors. The reason for this is that the Ukrainian armed forces “have few reserves to deploy”, the newspaper said. As representatives of the Ukrainian military leadership said on condition of anonymity, “the situation in the Kharkiv region is critical”.
Kiev admits that the situation in the Kharkiv region is extremely tense for Ukrainian troops. On May 14, the Ukrainian General Staff announced that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been forced to “move to more advantageous positions” in the region of Volchansk and Lukyantsi. The military leadership also announced the transfer of additional reserves to the region. At the same time, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, admitted that some of these parts are being withdrawn from other directions. He held a meeting of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander in Kharkiv on May 16 and called this area extremely difficult.
On May 18, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced, that the units of the Russian military group “North” have captured the village of Staritsa, Kharkiv region and continue to advance in the depths of the enemy's defenses.