Ukraine’s Vovchansk: The largest city currently in the focus of the Russian assault | DW News

Ukraine’s Vovchansk: The largest city currently in the focus of the Russian assault | DW News

our guys are fighting well and successfully along the entire front line you didn’t let the enemy break through you’re strong Warriors more help is on the way we’re rushing ammunition armored vehicles missiles air defenses the unfortunate delay in delivering weapons had a significant impact on the front it’s too early to draw conclusions but the situation is under [Music] control to our viewers watching on PBS in the United States and to all of you around the world welcome we begin the day with a change in plans in an effort to sustain international support for his country’s battle against Russia Ukrainian President Vladimir zalinski had planned to visit space and Portugal this week instead he spent the day in the city of harke visiting wounded soldiers and meeting military commanders Ukrainian forces have been locked in bitter fighting against Russian troops Northeast of harkee since the launch of a surprise offensive last week Ukraine says the situation on the front line has been largely secured but Russian troops have seized a few kilometers of territory on the Ukrainian side of the Border DW’s m ber has been to volchansk the largest city currently in the focus of this latest Russian assault for the people of bchunk this is a nightmare repeating itself the Russians attacked and occupied the town at the start of the fullscale invasion but were pushed out now they’re back and this here is what the situation in W chunk is turning into at the very moment behind me here this is a residential building it was struck by a Glide bomb from what we’ve been told uh just about 20 minutes ago two women were injured and taken to hospital Russian forces are hitting the city and neighboring areas with aerial bombs like this one when we were there Russians had entered the northern suburbs these dragon teeth are supposed to slow advancing tanks and the ukrainians are rushing more troops to the region to prevent a Russian breakthrough but it’s looking so Grim that most people have left and many of those who’ve remained so far are now following them police officers Vlad and Yuri are here to get some of them out volodimir lives with his dog Baron right next to the new front line but doesn’t want to leave Vlad leans on a professional connection to persuade him listen to me I’m the commander of your daughter I don’t want her to sit there and cry over you okay I’ll go now many don’t want to believe this is happening again why didn’t you evacuate earlier I had hoped that all would be good that nobody would force me out just as we’re leaving lie down there are Glide bombs coming Baron I promise you you come with me this large- scale attack is devastating for people here officer vlot tells us they’re all in despair because everything they have gathered in their lives bid by bid and built their houses arranged their places for living everything they had they lost their most cherished desire now is for it all to end and they want to return to those ruins that will remain and restore everything the danger cannot be underestimated this was a sniper round aimed at the head of their driver their luck this vehicle provided by the Americans was armored further south in relative safety some of the last Vues wait for transport to Har Dasha is here with her family and their neighbors they spent six days in the basement and then fled on foot we didn’t think anything would happen and when we realized that everything was flying from all sides everything was being bombed we all hoped that this this is my house we couldn’t take out my shepherd dog unfortunately I left him [Music] [Music] sorry we are all alive thank God the whole family Left Alive and with loved ones vadir is also safe reunited with his daughter but he and his dog Baron are not home here and vadir has lost faith they’ll ever return well for more now I’m joined by Marina Maron she’s from the war studies department at Kings College London a familiar face to our viewers it’s good to see you Marina you know we’ve just seen that report there from vunk will Ukraine be able to hold this city good evening Brent well the situation is very difficult for the Ukrainian forces but what we have to understand is that W Chans is divided by SAS donet River so it gives the Ukrainian forces a protective barrier from my understanding the town is now divided in two parts and the Russians are controlling the northern part and they will have to cross the river in order to be able to capture W Chans in its entirety which I think is the idea behind this offensive however I don’t foresee it to be happening very quickly or at least not as quickly as we have seen the advances around of Chans Ukraine says that it has stabilized the situation across the front near harkee is that what you are seeing and hearing well from what it looks it seems to be more stable than a couple of days ago but that doesn’t mean that the Russians have stopped or that their offensive operation in that direction has run out of steam yet so we have to wait a couple of more more days to see what is going to happen specifically because I think that they will be also pushing along other directions and possibly if and when that offensive runs out of steam I think that the Russians might try to go forumi or even chiv Russia has not Advanced that deeply but it has seized some territory I mean is Ukraine going to be in any position um to retake that anytime soon and and I I just want to ask you about the KnockOn effects for Ukraine Russia says that it has recaptured the town of robot on the southern front I mean that’s basically the territory that Ukraine captured during its offens of last year so is the situation there is it is it clear and I mean is it to be expected given how stretched Ukrainian forces are well that’s the whole idea I think behind this har offensive is to stretch the Ukrainian forces and to stretch them even more and in my previous reply I said they might attack Sumi and TRV in order to keep the Ukrainian forces stretched and with the Ukrainian having issues with their Manpower having issues in terms of military equipment even as the US Aid is arriving in Ukraine it is going to be difficult and I don’t see any strategic purpose in trying to recapture the Northern Territories just yet because I think it would be the wrong place for the Ukrainian forces to concentrate their efforts on and to come back to zapia essentially the Russian Ministry of Defense declared robotin as um liberated from Ukrainian forces um from us end it looks like the Ukrainian forces are still present in one part of the settlement however I think in in the information Spectrum it is a psycholog iCal blow to the Ukrainian forces because essentially taking robotina would negate all the effects of the counter offensive which didn’t go according to the plan so I think also from this perspective the Ukrainian forces are finding themselves in a difficult position so if it’s true to to say that Russia is currently on the front foot in this war how close is Ukraine to suffering a Syria defeat well what would that defeat look like is a question or how far is Russia going to go and I think that this will depend on many factors not least on the outside support to Ukraine there have been suggestions for instance to use NATO’s air defenses stationed in Poland and Romania to uh free up some air defenses inside Ukraine to um basically help Ukraine in that way because air defense systems are scars um also it depends on ammunitions but most importantly I think is a human factor and the fact that Ukraine is trying to mobilize troops but is failing to F feel fill file and rank to send to the front lines and the polarization that is taking place inside Ukrainian society and the problems in the military command and um political problems also zalanski is facing right now they will all determine how and when and if Ukraine can be defeated on the battlefield but that doesn’t mean that Ukraine will lose politically just yet so it remains to be seen But I foresee that the combination of this factors will determine the fate of Ukraine until probably November um 24 until the US presidential elections well you know Ukraine can always say that one reason that it may be vulnerable now is because the US had a delay in delivering weapons the delay that we’ve seen in the last few months but can it it can’t blame anyone else when it’s talking about not having enough soldiers right this new mobilization law that’s been passed this effort to get more soldiers into the military I mean do you think that should have been done a year ago are they are they doing this too late well I I think it’s not fair to put the blame on the US just because as I said there are so many factors at play here and technology is not going to fill the Manpower Gap technology is also not going to boost the morale well to a certain extent it might but it’s it’s not going to make such a great effect and if we look at the war in Afghanistan us was technologically superior to the Taliban just to make a point that technology is not everything in war and um the mobilization is always a very unpopular choice and at the very beginning there were a lot of volunteers to join the Ukrainian Armed Forces right now the situation is looking bad so I’m not sure if starting earlier to mobilize people would have helped the overall effort and we also have to remember that Ukraine has special forces deployed to Sudan to counteract Uh Russian activities there so I’m wondering maybe the Ukrainian command should start redeploying those forces because they are very capable and they could be a great help right now in Ukraine and of course um we have to understand that mobilizing people means they need to be trained they need to be outfitted they need to be paid so this is affecting Ukrainian economy because who’s going to pay the taxes to finance all of this so the economic situation of Ukraine is also an important factor in the capability to mobilize people Marina [ __ ] from Kings College as always Marina we appreciate your time and your analysis tonight thank you

We begin The Day with a change in plans. In an effort to sustain international support for his country’s battle against Russia, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had planned to visit Spain and Portugal this week.

Instead he spent the day in the city of Kharkiv, visiting wounded soldiers and meeting military commanders. Ukrainian forces have been locked in bitter fighting against Russian troops northeast of Kharkiv since the launch of a surprise offensive last week.

Ukraine says the situation on the front line has been largely secured. But Russian troops have seized a few kilometers of territory on the Ukrainian side of the border. DW’s Max Zander has been to Vovchansk – the largest city currently in the focus of the Russian assault.

00:00 Intro and report
06:02 Talk with Military Analyst Marina Miron

#Ukraine #Vovchansk #Russia

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