MOSCOW, 29 Aug. The Ukrainian military did not expect the Russian forces to break through the front in the Kharkiv region, writes the British newspaper The Guardian.
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«This should not have happened. Ukraine's counteroffensive, which began in June, was aimed at putting Russia on the defensive. But in the first half of August, Russian troops launched an offensive against Kupyansk and its environs. <…> The Ukrainians were taken by surprise, and the front moved,” the article says.
According to media reports, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fear that the Russians will destroy their forces in Kupyansk in the same way as they did in Artemovsk in the spring, and build a new line of defense along the Oskol River.
Last week, the head of the administration of the Kharkiv region, Vitaly Ganchev, said that active hostilities were taking place near the village of Sinkovka near Kupyansk. According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already left the village. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov also acknowledged the advance of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region the day before.