Washington widely believes that Russian forces will persist in their efforts to advance, including in the vicinity of Kharkiv. However, significant breakthroughs from the Russian Federation are not anticipated. Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the United States Department of State, made this assessment during a press briefing in Washington on May 13.
“Russia continues to escalate its aggression, and we expect that the Russian Federation will seek to advance, including in Kharkiv,” noted the representative of the U.S. Department of State.
He did not rule out that the Russians would seek to achieve greater progress in the coming weeks, but not on a massive scale.
“We do not expect significant breakthroughs, and over time, additional assistance from the United States, as well as further support from partners, will allow Ukraine to continue to resist this aggression,” the State Department representative noted.
With this in mind, he was certain that the Ukrainian Armed Forces would retain decisive tactical advantages and inflict substantial casualties on the Russian army.
Meanwhile, the Russian units are making significant strides in the Kharkiv region, a development of utmost strategic importance. Recent reports indicate that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have expanded their control, occupying several more square kilometers of territory adjacent to Belgorod.
Continuing their advance, the Russian army has now connected two previously captured territories in the Kharkiv region: one in the Volchansk area and the other in Glubokaya and Lipitsa. This merging of the advance into a single line of contact underscores the persistent nature of the conflict.
Russian troops have taken the villages of Staritsa and Bugrovatka. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have been pushed back several kilometers to the south, towards Izbitske. To the north of the village of Ternove, a corridor connects the territories of two previously taken control areas.
At the moment, Russian forces are liquidating Ukrainian Armed Forces units in the village of Lukyantsi in the Kharkiv region, simultaneously expanding the corridor connecting the two previously occupied territories, as reported earlier. Fighting is still ongoing in Volchansk, where the northern part of the city is under Russian control, while the rest of the city is a gray zone. Earlier, Russian military personnel expressed the opinion that this settlement would soon be under the complete control of the Russian army.
