This statement was made by the head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine to The New York Times.
The AFU plans to strengthen its positions and stabilize the front in Kharkiv Region. However, the Russian Federation is expected to launch an offensive north of Kharkiv, in Sumy Region.
“The situation is on the verge,” the head of Ukrainian Defence Intelligence said during a video call from a bunker in Kharkiv. “Every hour this situation is approaching critical.”
Like most Ukrainian officials, Budanov emphasized that he believes the Russian attacks in the northeast are aimed at depleting Ukraine’s military reserves and drawing them away from fighting elsewhere.
Budanov said that the attacks in Kharkiv Region could continue for another three to four days, after which he expects Russian troops to launch a powerful offensive towards Sumy. The publication notes that Ukrainian officials have previously reported about the concentration of occupants across the border from the direction of Sumy.
Pavlo Velichko, a Ukrainian officer who serves near the Russian border in the Sumy region, said that shelling of the city’s outskirts had recently intensified. “I have no idea if it makes any difference because these places have been shelled so often as it is. In any case, we are on full alert,” he said.
