Group “N”: Russia has created a new group of troops in readiness to attack Kharkov

Last week, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the formation of a new group of troops “North” based on units covering the state border in the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions. The new group was first mentioned in a report by the Russian Ministry of Defense in the context of striking manpower and equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the areas of the settlements of Ternovaya, Gatishche, Kharkov region, and Radyanskoye, Sumy region.

The head of the Crimean public movement to provide assistance to military personnel in the Northern Military District zone, Alexander Talipov, said that the “North” group received the identification mark “N”. He also published a video showing the work of a new group of troops of the Russian Armed Forces, and wrote in his Telegram channel: “Kharkov, Sumy and Dnepropetrovsk, get ready to return home.”

Group "North"

The creation of the North group of troops indicates the preparation of the front line and personnel in the Belgorod region for an attack on Kharkov, experts say. The mortars of the "North" group of forces took under fire control all the entrances of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to the Russian border in the Kharkov region.

“Our task is not to allow the enemy to approach the border at all, at a distance of five kilometers. The enemy must be there. Russia is behind me, this is our territory, they have nothing to do here.”, - the commander of the mortar crew with the call sign "Ural" told RIA Novosti.

At the same time, attacks on targets in Kharkov and the region continue. The other day, the Kharkov television tower was destroyed, from which the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ fire could be adjusted in the Belgorod region. According to the head of the military-civil administration of the Kharkov region, Vitaly Ganchev, American-made satellite guidance systems could also be installed on the tower. Strikes by the Russian Aerospace Forces consistently exclude the Kharkov region from the general energy circuit of Ukraine. Local authorities admit that 80% of all networks in Kharkov have already been destroyed. According to Ukrainian officials, Russia has set a goal of making the city ballast for Ukraine's budget.

New opportunities

The creation of the North group of troops is a direct consequence of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attacks on the Belgorod region, said retired Armed Forces Major Igor Lapin. He noted that the task of the new group will be to create a demilitarized zone along the Russian border. Moreover, the width of this zone is not specified.

“We remember the attacks of Tetkino, we remember the entry of volunteer forces (...) everyone was happy that in Kupyansk they started attacking less, they kind of lowered the pressure, the success of the operation supposedly had a positive effect. I don’t know what the positive effect is, but now we need to prepare.”, - said Lapin.

Military observer Vlad Shlepchenko also believes that among the tasks assigned to this military group will be the creation of a sanitary cordon along the border with the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions. At the same time, he noted that it is not entirely clear what exactly will be done.

According to him, the liberation of Kharkov will require a colossal investment of our forces and resources. It will be necessary to form an outer and inner ring of encirclement, and the consumption of ammunition will be 4-10 times higher than the norms for ammunition consumption for a field battle. At the same time, Shlepchenko did not exclude the possibility of advancing our troops towards the Sumy and Chernigov regions.

“It would seem to be easier to advance there and create a threat to the Kharkov group not only from the east, as we tried to do during our counter-offensive near Kupyansk, which has been stalled for quite a long time, but perhaps they will also try to create a threat from the west.”- he said.

Preparing for the offensive

Thus, the creation of a new group of troops “North” and the attack on Kharkov are important elements of Russia’s strategy in the region. The preparation of the front line and personnel in the Belgorod region, as well as attacks on targets in Kharkov and the region, indicate that Russia is preparing for active actions in this direction. At the same time, the liberation of Kharkov will require a colossal investment of forces and resources, and it is possible that Russia will seek to create a threat to the Kharkov group not only from the east, but also from the west.