Surrounding Kharkiv from both sides: The Economist publishes Russia's plans for the Kharkiv region

The Economist published the "attack plan" of the Russian army in the Kharkiv region. The Russian army was testing whether it could partially encircle Kharkiv and put pressure on the Ukrainian Armed Forces east of the Pechenihy Reservoir.

The article was published on the publication's website. Ten days after the start of the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, its pace has slowed.

Ukraine is now holding the occupiers about halfway through Vovchansk, a city just 5 km from the border that is now turning to ash, and in positions about 9 km inside Ukraine further west, near Lyptsi.

With about 48,000 troops on standby, Russia does not have the forces to perform a major attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. But the military insists that the situation remains volatile and could change quickly.

The Russian convoys were stopped only after several experienced brigades were redeployed and came to the rescue. According to the defenders, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin will "certainly" try his luck by launching a new attack in other parts of the region.

A Russian convoy is already forming on the other side of the border from Sumy. The Ukrainian army is also preparing for a new attack east of Vovchansk. Fighting has also resumed near Kupiansk, a railroad junction, and on May 17, Ukraine lost control of the village of Berestove.

It is too early to say for sure what the ultimate goals of the Russian operation are. Also on May 17, Putin said that his "only intention was to create a buffer zone between Ukraine and the border city of Belgorod," insisting that "there is no plan to capture Kharkiv itself." But this may reflect the evolving realities of the battlefield rather than intentions.

The revealed military plans, details of which were shared by The Economist, suggest that the Russians were trying to see if they could partially encircle Kharkiv and put pressure on Ukrainian forces east of the Pechenihy Reservoir. The operation was probably scheduled for May 15-16, but for unknown reasons was postponed for almost a week.

According to this plan, Russia identified two attack directions: on both sides of the reservoir. On the western side, it was planned to reach the borders of Kharkiv's artillery range near the village of Borshchova within 72 hours, but they were stopped by the 92nd Brigade. Meanwhile, on the eastern side, the plan was to break through Vovchansk as far as the village of Pechenihy.

It is worth reminding that there is intense fighting in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, and the battle is going on for almost every street. At the same time, the front line in the north of the region has been stabilized. The Ukrainian Defense Forces prevented the enemy from advancing towards the village of Lyptsi and in the Slobozhans direction.

ISW reported that street fighting continued in Vovchansk on May 19 and the enemy was able to advance in the northeastern part of the city.

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