Hitting Russian Troops Retreat, Ukrainian Military Recaptures Several Villages In North And Northeast Of Kharkiv

Illustration of conditions in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/dsns.gov.ua/State Emergency Service of Ukraine)

JAKARTA - Ukraine said on Tuesday its troops had retaken villages from Russian troops in the north and northeast of Kharkiv, pressing for a retaliatory strike that could signal a shift in the war's momentum and jeopardize major Russian advances.

Ukrainian troops have in recent days recaptured the settlements of Cherkaski Tyshky, Ruski Tyshki, Borshchova, and Slobozhanske, north of Ukraine's second-largest city, said Tetiana Apatchenko, a press officer with Ukraine's main force in the area.

Defense Ministry adviser Yuriy Saks said Ukraine's success pushed Russian troops out of reach of Kharkiv, which lies in the northeast, which has been under constant bombardment since the war began.

"The military operations of the Ukrainian armed forces around Kharkiv, especially in the north and northeast of Kharkiv, are a kind of success story," Saks told Reuters as quoted on May 11.

"Ukrainian soldiers were able to push these war criminals to a line beyond the reach of their artillery."

In Washington, the top US intelligence official said the war was at a stalemate. President Vladimir Putin appears to be preparing for a long conflict, and Russia's victory in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region may not end the war, said Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

But a counter-attack near Kharkiv could signal a new phase, with Ukraine now on the offensive after weeks in which Russia launched a massive offensive without making a breakthrough.

By pushing back the Russian forces who had occupied the outskirts of Kharkiv since the start of the invasion, Ukraine moved into striking distance of the rear supply lines that supported Russia's main strike force further south.

"The Ukrainians are getting closer to the Russian border. So all the gains that Russia made in the early days in northeastern Ukraine are getting further and further away," said Neil Melvin of the RUSI think-tank in London.

Since Russia was forced to abandon an offensive in the capital Kyiv in late March, its main force has been trying to encircle Ukrainian forces in the Donbas, using the town of Izyum south of Kharkiv as a base. Ukrainian troops have so far mostly defended against attacks from three directions.

But by pushing back near Kharkiv, Ukraine can now force Moscow to turn to trying to maintain its own long supply line to Izyum. Western military analysts say there are signs the backlash has weakened Russia's progress.

"Our assessment is, they (Russia) have to pull some power off the axis that leads to control of the Donbas region because of what happened in Kharkiv, and that just underscores the challenges they have," said retired US General Jack Keane, now chairman of the think tank. Institute for the Study of War.

The number of Ukrainians who have fled their country since Russia's February 24 invasion is close to 6 million, according to the United Nations, which says the refugee crisis is the fastest growing since World War Two.