Russian forces appear to be gearing up for the next phase of their offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast in Ukraine, likely following the expected capture of Vovchansk, a frontline city that was under attack by Russian troops for over a week now.
Battlefront News
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on May 18 that Russian troops had advanced between five and 10 kilometers in the region before Ukrainian forces halted their progress. Currently, Russian forces are executing the initial wave of what could be several waves of tactical offensives in the area.
President Zelensky also indicated that Russian military leadership aims to target Kharkiv City in their offensive plans. In a recent interview with AFP he had also indicated that the Russian offensive would consist of several waves. However, due to potentially insufficient manpower, Russian forces are only gradually advancing towards the city to pressure Ukrainian forces into withdrawing from the region.
Available evidence suggests that Russian forces have deployed only a portion of their prepared forces from Belgorod, Kursk, and Bryansk oblasts for the ongoing offensive operations in northern Kharkiv Oblast.
Ukrainian forces are expecting the Russians to commit more troops over the battle for Kharkiv Oblast in the coming days.
Readiness Questions
Multiple Ukrainian military bloggers, including the Ukrainian Deep State military news organization are questioning the readiness of Ukrainian troops for the recent Russian incursion in Kharkiv Oblast. According to the Ukrainian military analysts the frontline fortifications were not completed despite the imminent danger facing the region due to the proximity of Ukrainian-Russian border.
Previously they’ve reported on “dragon teeth” fortifications meant to stop enemy tanks and APCs laying on the side of country roads in Kharkiv Oblast since 2023 next to Liptsy village that Russian troops took over a week ago almost instantly after the start of their offensive.
At the same time the head of the Kharkiv regional administration, Oleh Syniehubov said that all the work on installing the dragon teeth was scheduled for 2023-2024. According to him, the tasks for 2023 have been completed by 100%.
Meanwhile similar photos emerge from the bordering Sumy Oblast in Ukraine, where the same dragon teeth fortifications were found laying in piles by social media users.
Corruption Allegations
Contracts worth 366 million hryvnias ($12.5 million CAD) for supplying wood for fortifications in Kharkiv Oblast have raised significant concerns, Martyna Bohuslavets, head of the Anti-Corruption Center Mezha, revealed in an interview with Radio NV Ukraine on May 14.
Mezha’s investigation, based on open-source data, uncovered that the contracts were awarded to companies that appear to be fictitious. According to Bohuslavets, tens of millions of hryvnias were transferred to a private entrepreneur, Ihor Chaus, whose criminal record includes a conviction for stealing a bottle of whiskey from a supermarket, resulting in a sentence of 100 hours of community service.
“There was no first line of defence. We saw it. The Russians just walked in. They just walked in, without any mined fields,” stated to BBC Denys Yaroslavskyi, the head of a Ukrainian Special Reconnaissance Unit.
He goes on to say that officials had claimed that defenses were being built at huge cost, but in his view, those defenses simply weren’t there. “Either it was an act of negligence or corruption. It wasn’t a failure. It was a betrayal.”
Meanwhile Ukrainian News Network signaled as early as in December 2023 that “the Kharkiv region is completing the construction of the Dragon’s Teeth fortifications. The work is scheduled to be to be completed by the end of 2023.”
Ukraine was hit by previous widescale allegations of corruption ranging from government minsters to high-level Ministry of Defence officials to high ranking government officials.
At the same time, Ukraine’s journalists investigating corruption are under unprecedented pressure with some saying that the situation is now worse than it has ever been.
War Spoils
Despite this, Ukrainian investigative journalists are trying to hold their own while publishing information about new “war spoils” from corrupt Ukrainian officials, military personnel and business owners.
All this while facing threats to be sent to the frontlines from potentially corrupt government officials, while trying not to be caught in the same net of corruption.
Recently Insider UA published an article about an anti-corruption activist who now drives a brand new car in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, which was donated to the military and was supposed to serve Ukrainian troops on the frontlines.
Meanwhile a corrupt Ukrainian military official was able to buy properties in and around Kyiv.
At the same time Radio Liberty is reporting that numerous acting Ukrainian government officials have bought numerous properties in Dubai, UAE since the beginning of the war.
In the meantime Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier this year urged the West to provide more funding. As per Mr. Kuleba, otherwise Ukraine will “fight with shovels.”
Canadian Contribution
As per the Government of Canada, the country has provided $4.85 billion in loan assistance to Ukraine to help meet Ukraine’s urgent balance of payments needs and support its macroeconomic stability.
Canada has also provided a $50-million loan guarantee to enable a €300-million loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned gas company, to help keep the heat and lights on in Ukraine last winter.
Additionally Canada has committed an additional $127 million in development assistance funding to Ukraine to address emerging priorities.
And Canada has scaled up its security and stabilization programming in Ukraine, with approximately $102 million in new and planned programming in Ukraine through the Peace and Stabilization Operations and the Weapons Threat Reduction programs since February 2022.