ISW report: in Kharkiv region, Russia overestimates successes and suffers heavy losses

The Russian military command continues to exaggerate the scale of its successes in the Kharkiv region, while sending exhausted, wounded, and undertrained soldiers to the front lines.

This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

According to analysts, on October 23, Russian troops attempted offensive operations in the north of Sumy region, but did not achieve any real progress. Despite this, Russian official reports report “successes” in this direction.

Even Russian military bloggers have criticized the Russian command. One of them said that orders to continue the offensive in the Sumy region only lead to heavy losses, as the troops are not advancing. Another reported that the Russians are shelling Ukrainian communication lines near the settlements of Yunakivka and Ivolzhanske, located near Sumy.

The situation is similar in the Kharkiv direction – there is no confirmed enemy advance. One of the military bloggers associated with the Northern Group of Forces of the Russian Federation admitted that the Russian command is exaggerating the results of the battles near Sinelnikovo, and soldiers are being sent to the front without proper training, including those who have recently been to the hospital.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian unit fighting in the north of the Kharkiv region reported that in the Volchansk direction alone, the Russians have lost at least 15,000 soldiers killed since May 2024. A significant part of these forces are mobilized without combat experience.

Russian units have only managed to make some progress in the Kupyansk area, but even there, Ukrainian military officials report mass attacks by poorly trained recruits who often lack even basic equipment. Due to logistical problems, Russian soldiers are forced to resort to extreme measures to obtain water.

In the Lymansk direction on October 23, the Russians also continued assault operations, but without noticeable progress. Minor advances were recorded near Siversk and in the Kostyantynivka-Druzhkivka area.

The occupiers also failed to achieve results in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlovsk directions. According to the Ukrainian military, Russian commanders are demanding that their subordinates not surrender, and in the event of a hopeless situation, commit suicide, spreading fake news about the cruel treatment of prisoners by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Some progress has been recorded in the Velykymykhailiv direction, where Russian forces are trying to gain a foothold on the border of Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. At the same time, the front line in Zaporizhia and Kherson regions remains stable.

We will remind you that over the past 24 hours, 120 combat clashes took place on the Russian-Ukrainian front . The hottest situation remains in the Pokrov direction.

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