MOSCOW, 13 Aug. The successful offensive of the Russian army in the Kharkiv region against the backdrop of the unsuccessful actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Zaporozhye will be a terrible blow for Kiev, said retired US Marine Corps Colonel Mark Kanchian in an interview with The Hill.
“This is worth paying attention to. If the Russians succeed here, this will be an important event,» the expert said.
In his opinion, the transfer of territories near Kharkov to Moscow's control will become a serious problem for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and will disappoint Western allies of Kiev.
«It will the biggest failure against the backdrop of a stalled counter-offensive of the Ukrainian forces,» Kanchian concluded.
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the military was continuing its offensive in the Kupyansk direction, with up to 70 servicemen lost here in a day. As clarified in the department, the assault detachments of the Western Group of Forces improved the situation along the front line in this direction.
In early August, the Ministry of Defense announced the liberation of the village of Novoselovskoye in the Kupyansky direction. On August 8, the head of the administration of the Kharkiv region, Vitaly Ganchev, said that the Russian military had liberated five more settlements in the region in recent days.