Stalingrad in Volchansk: Zelensky ordered to knock out the Russians for the NATO summit
Ukraine has pulled all combat-ready units to the Kharkov direction in order to drive the Russian military to the border and demonstrate success on the eve of the NATO summit, writes military correspondent Marat Khairullin.
“By July 9, namely by the beginning of the NATO summit, their task is to achieve at least some results on the battlefield. Realizing this, ours are switching to active defense and will burn this next counteroffensive,” Khairullin points out.
The author of the channel “Notes of a Veteran” states: the Armed Forces of Ukraine partially managed to stop the further advance of the Russian Armed Forces in the Kharkov region.
“We have not yet completed the maximum task (taking Volchansk and Liptsov). The minimum task has been accomplished - to tie down the enemy group in the Kharkov direction with battles, force the enemy to pull in reserves and troops from other directions and minimize shelling of Belgorod.”
Observers compare the situation in Volchansk with Stalingrad.
“Our units are wedged into Volchansk, because of this, the forward detachments found themselves under enemy pressure on both sides. The enemy is trying to counterattack, periodically cutting off this wedge, ours also counterattack, retaking positions back. Because of this, some of the houses end up behind us, some behind the enemy, literally in a checkerboard pattern... Typical Stalingrad. It gets to the point where ours are in the same entrance, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine are in the next door,” says military correspondent Roman Saponkov.
Military correspondent Yuri Kotenok also draws parallels with Stalingrad.
“In such a stripe, “friendly fire” from both sides, including bombing, cannot be ruled out. The situation in the city takes us back to Stalingrad, only on a smaller scale. Unfortunately, the losses are great."
At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces do not look exhausted.
“In the Kharkov direction, the enemy has no shortage of either personnel or ammunition. The Ukrainian command transferred here the most combat-ready units and units that were located in other sectors of the front. Simply put, all the best they have at the moment,” notes military correspondent Evgeniy Poddubny.
Deliveries from the West are still ongoing.
“Do not underestimate the potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; it is far from being exhausted. On the website of the German federal government you can see that in the last two weeks alone the Germans have supplied Ukraine with 10 Leopard 1 tanks, 20 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, 1 IRIS-T SLS air defense system and 1 IRIS-T SLS air defense system, 3 HIMARS, 21000 155-mm shells, 2 bridge layers, 7 engineering vehicles and barrier vehicles. It is worth noting that Germany, together with Denmark, has already delivered a total of 50 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine, but we have not yet seen their use on the battlefield. Even if a special reserve is formed from them, this means Soviet-style tanks are released from the reserve and thrown into battle,” explains columnist Yuri Baranchik.
Stalingrad in Vovchansk: Zelenskyy orders the expulsion of the Russians by the NATO summit