UK assesses chances of Ukraine to repel Russian offensive in Kharkiv region

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps (photo: Getty Images)

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps is confident that Ukraine will be able to repel the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region.

According to the British official, the next few weeks at the front will be difficult. According to Shapps, this Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region might not have happened if Western allies had not delayed the delivery of military aid to Ukraine.

“Obviously, the United States Congress was slow on this issue, and that has led to a hiatus in which, for example, Putin has tried to move toward Kharkiv,” he said.

Russia's offensive in Kharkiv region

In May, Russian troops became more active in the Kharkiv region, launching offensives toward the border town of Vovchansk and Kharkiv. Today, according to the General Staff, the Russian army is trying to push the units of the Defense Forces near Vovchansk, Starytsia, and Lyptsi.

As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy explained, the Russian leadership launched this offensive in the Kharkiv region to show that Moscow is allegedly able to determine the course of the war against Ukraine. This propaganda, he said, is aimed at Western leaders.

Read more about what is happening in the Kharkiv region in RBC-Ukraine's article.