Ukrainian Brigades Have Punched Through Russian Lines Around Kharkiv

A second counteroffensive was launched by a separate Ukrainian force in northeastern Ukraine eight days after the first one.

The counteroffensive was a success. The counteroffensive by the Kharkiv has been more successful than before. All the troops that it feeds and arms are in trouble.

Russia's war in Ukraine has been going on for seven months. The army of Russia is in a state of disrepair. It is unclear whether the Kremlin can mobilize enough fully-equipped and trained reserves to prevent a collapse.

No one was surprised by Ukraine's counteroffensive. The top priority for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was to liberate Kherson, a port with 300,000 inhabitants. The Ukrainian armed forces launched a long campaign of attacks against Russian supply lines in the south.

The deep strikes isolated the Russian battalions in and around Kherson but also signaled to the Kremlin that a Ukrainian counteroffensive was about to start. Anticipating the attack, the Russians shifted a dozen of their 100 or so battalions inUkraine from the northeast and east to the south, growing by a third the Kherson garrison.

The Ukrainian 25th, 80th, 92nd brigades, as well as the powerful 3rd tank brigade, were ready when the Russian 2nd and 20th Combined Arms Army went out. Tom Cooper, an independent military analyst and author, wrote that they attacked on Wednesday and punched through the Russian defense line.

The town of Balakliya is occupied by Russia. Several Russian-held towns were bypassed by the Ukrainians. The Ukrainian forces had a bigger target than the Russian ones.

Russian forces in the east are connected to Russia proper through the railways. Russian forces in the south will suffer the same fate if the supply lines are cut. The Ukrainians cut off supplies and reinforcements from inside.

If the Russians can reinforce the eastern front soon, the Ukrainians can get there. There isn't much that can be done to stop the Ukrainian brigades. There was nothing behind the Russian lines. There were no Russian units that were capable of launching attacks.

Zelensky might still be focused on Kherson. It is now performing two jobs. The southern assault is a concerted effort to liberate a port. It has fixed in place so many Russian troops that it is making weak spots in other Russian lines. The Ukrainian forces are exploiting weak spots.