At the disposal of the journalists of the British magazine The Economist was the plan of the offensive of the Russian occupiers in the Kharkiv region. It envisages a partial encirclement of Kharkiv and pressure on Ukrainian troops in the area of the Pechenihy reservoir to the east of the city.
Presumably, Russia planned the operation for May 15-16, but for an unknown reason, it was postponed by almost a week.
The plan shows that the Russians have identified two lines of attack on either side of the reservoir. An offensive from the western direction within three days should have resulted in Kharkiv falling within the range of Russian artillery, because the invaders would have been near the village of Borschova.
However, the occupiers were quickly stopped by the redeployed 92nd separate assault brigade — it pushed the enemy back 10 kilometers from the initial goal. Until this moment, they talked about the allegedly poor defense fortifications of Ukraine and the escape of 125 separate brigades of the Territorial Defense. If the data obtained by the journalists of The Economist are reliable, then this changes the perception of the events on the border of Belgorod and Kharkiv regions on May 10.
In the eastern Vovchansk direction, the Russians wanted to reach the village of Pechenygi. In the first days, they quickly passed a large part of the territory that was to be mined. There were no fortifications or minefields on their route. Now the Russians are being held back in the area of the village of Buhruvatka and in Vovchansk.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine are preparing for a new attack by the Russians east of Vovchansk, where the Russian army may move in the direction of White Well. The Economist estimates the formed Russian group at 48 000 military personnel, and military analysts believe that these forces are insufficient for an attack on Kharkiv itself.
- On the morning of May 10, Russia launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region. In fact, the Russian Federation opened a new front. From that moment, according to the data of the Ukrainian analytical project DeepStare, Russian troops occupied 174 sq. km of territory in the region.