(Dan Tri) – Senior Russian officials seem to signal that Moscow may soon launch an attack on Kharkov.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Photo: AFP).
According to Business Insider, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seems to have hinted that Russia intends to attack the city of Kharkov in northeastern Ukraine.
This made him the first senior Kremlin official to publicly identify Ukraine’s second largest city as a potential target, according to the Institute for the Study of War (USA).
In an interview on Russian radio, Mr. Lavrov said Kharkov had an `important role` in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plan to create a demilitarized buffer zone to protect Russia’s border areas from
In March, the Kremlin said the only way to protect Russian territory from Ukrainian attacks was to create a buffer zone that would put Russian areas out of range of Kiev’s weapons.
Previously, President Vladimir Putin raised the possibility of establishing a buffer zone in his speech after being re-elected on March 17.
`In the context of Ukraine’s drone attacks and shelling of our territory such as public facilities and residential buildings, Russia needs to take measures to protect. Goals
Afterwards, political advisor to the president of Ukraine, Mr. Mykhailo Podolyak, criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s idea of creating a buffer zone within Ukrainian territory, accusing it of being a clear sign that Moscow has
Mr. Podolyak commented: `This is a clear, direct statement that hostilities will only escalate. All of this is direct evidence that the Russian Federation is not ready to live in political relations.`
Kharkiv has faced repeated Russian attacks in recent weeks.
Colonel Andriy Zadubinnyi of Ukraine’s Khortytsia force operating in the northeast said: `Due to its proximity to the border, the Khakov area is attacked by Russia almost every day with guided bombs and missiles.`
He said that Ukraine has the ability to defend Kharkov but warned that it means they could lose tens of thousands of soldiers.
In March, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that he could not ignore reports of Russia’s plans to attack Kharkov and that his army was preparing for such a scenario.
`We are carrying out a series of missions aimed at fortifying territories and positions, installing a complex fence system and planning the use of our troops in case such an occurrence occurs,`