Russian Military Striving to Reach Kyiv, Says Former Ukrainian Defense Minister

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk has stated that Kharkiv is currently the main target for Russian military forces. This was reported by The Guardian.

“Advancements are occurring. They are now very close to the city of Kherson. The situation there is truly critical. They are also trying to encircle Kharkiv. It seems that Kharkiv is the primary target at the moment,” he said.

According to Zagorodnyuk, Russian military forces are attempting to reach Kyiv using one combat group. “The group was moving from Belarus, but our forces stopped them. The road to Kyiv is quite poor from that direction. It's strange that such a small group was sent that way. Clearly, this was a miscalculation on their part at this moment. The Russians also have losses, as do we,” he added.

The former minister noted that the Ukrainian armed forces are conducting serious military operations. He emphasized that the situation is extremely tense. “This morning’s first shocks were from rocket attacks, missile strikes, and drone hits. Some of our armed forces buildings have been completely destroyed. All of them are military infrastructure. They are trying to breach the border and enter the country with their ground forces. The Ukrainian armed forces are trying to stop them,” he stated.