There’s no question that the 30 thousand troops involved in Russia’s Northern Kharkov Oblast offensive are not nearly enough to undertake a conquest of a major center like Kharkov city with over 1 million people.

Having said that, it is also true that Kharkov city is already within Russian artillery range, and it is also a fact that the main supply lines to it are also under Russian fire control.

So, while conquering the city is beyond present capabilities, Russian Federation forces are about to make existence there a living hell.

During his major state visit to China, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that capturing Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkov is not part of Moscow’s current plan.

CNBC reported:

“Speaking at a news conference in China, Putin said that Russian forces operating in the area may be forced to create a “sanitary zone” to shore up Russia’s own security, according to Russian state news agency Ria Novosti.”

Ukrainian forces are scrambling to hold off Russia’s latest push, assembling reinforcements that are weakening other parts of the ever expanding 2-thousand mile long front-line.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said defense forces had ‘stabilized’ the situation around Kharkov, after Russian forces advanced 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into the northeastern region.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Friday said it had captured 12 settlements in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkov region in the last week, before adding that it “continues to advance into the depths” of the country.

[…] Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier in the day that Russian forces operating near Ukraine’s second-largest city could be forced to create a buffer zone to shore up security. Putin added that the Kremlin’s current plan was not to capture the city of Kharkov.”

Euronews reported:

“I have said publicly that if it continues we will be forced to create a security zone, a sanitary zone,” [Putin] said, “As for Kharkov, there are no such plans (to capture the city)”.”

Putin’s comments come as Russian and Ukrainian forces engage in fierce battles in the middle of of Volchansk, a key town in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkov region, just 5 kilometers from the border.

The move has piled pressure on Ukraine’s outnumbered, outgunned and outmaneuvered forces.

“Former Russian defense minister – now the head of the National Security Council – Sergei Shoigu insisted Russian troops are pushing the offensive in many directions and that ‘it’s going quite well’.

‘I hope we will keep advancing. We have certain reserves for the purpose, in personnel, equipment and munitions’, he said in televised remarks.”

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