Tony is in town today for pep talks1. Maybe he has a message for the thousands of residents of northern areas of Kharkiv region who were evacuated in recent days.
Maybe not.
Ukraine’s general responsible for the defense of the northeastern Kharkiv front, Yuriy Halushkin, has been replaced by General Mykhaylo Drapatiy. Halushkin, as we recall, replaced General Andriy Hrytskov at the start of May.
Yuriy rattles on for about one hour about AFU’s general staff merry-go-round with respect to (in)competence in thwarting Russia’s plan to establish new bridgeheads in the north (that everyone has been talking about for, er, months). Parts of Sumy region could be attacked next, according to Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s military intelligence2.
Oleh Synehubov, Z’s head of Kharkiv Region’s Military Administration, sends an bravado message from Vovchansk.
Oleh says 200 residents are still waiting to be evacuated.
The situation in northern Kharkiv region should be a cold shower for the whole country, both in regard to the issue of fortifications, and the issue of mobilization.
The state must turn into a total resistance machine, and all forces must be directed to the front. Otherwise, there will be no "after victory" party. — Maksym Zhorin (Deputy Commander, 3rd Brigade)
Skynews, meanwhile, pumps out drone footage of Russian invaders entering Vovchansk in small groups.
Facing Russian Advance, a Top Ukrainian General Paints a Bleak Picture. Ukraine’s forces are stretched thin and have minimal reserves to draw on, the chief of military intelligence said, in addition to shortages of weapons (The New York Times, May 14, 2024)