Explaining complex things in simple words: Fights in Kharkiv region, destruction of house in Belgorod, staff changes in Russia

FIGHTS IN KHARKIV REGION

On May 10, Russian troops crossed the state border of Ukraine and began hostilities in the area of Lyptsi and Vovchansk in the north of the Kharkiv region

• Defence Forces of Ukraine repel against the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region. The territory occupied by the enemy is localized, and constant fire damage is carried out on it.
• The enemy has used significant forces for the offensive and does not count on its own losses. The operational situation is complex and dynamically changing.
• Fortification-equipped defence lines on the north of the Kharkiv region are located at a certain distance from the state borderline. Currently, fighting continues in the area that was a ‘’gray zone’’.
• The purpose of the enemy attacks in the Kharkiv region is to disorient and stretch out the Ukrainian forces. At the same time, the main direction of the Russian offensive remains Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region.
• The Defence Forces of Ukraine have liberated the north of the Kharkiv region in the spring of 2022. This time, they will repel against the Russian invaders in the same way.

DESTRUCTION OF A HOUSE IN BELGOROD

On May 12, an explosion destroyed the entrance of an apartment building in Belgorod, Russia.

• Moscow, which launched a full-scale aggressive war, is responsible for hostilities and all the destruction in the regions of the Russian Federation bordering Ukraine.
• Residents of many Ukrainian cities experience the horrors of Russian attacks, destruction and killings of the civilian population on a daily basis comparable to, or greater than, what happened in Belgorod.
• In contrast to the Russian aggressors, the Defence Forces of Ukraine adhere to the laws and customs of warfare, and therefore do not attack civilian objects. Only an independent examination can establish the circumstances of the incident in Belgorod.
• The Russian air defence system could be a reason for the house destruction, or another ‘’extraordinary landing’’ of high-explosive aerial bombs, with which Russian aviation attacks the border towns and villages of Ukraine.
• It cannot be ruled out that the house was deliberately blown up by the Russian special services as a provocation in order to justify another escalation.
• A deliberate blowing up of the house by the Russian special services as a provocation in order to justify another escalation cannot be ruled out.

STAFF CHANGES IN RUSSIA

Russian dictator V. Putin has appointed Andrey Belousov as the new Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation, and transferred former minister Sergei Shoigu to the post of Security Council Secretary dismissing Nikolai Patrushev from this post.

• Patrushev has been the Security Council Secretary for the last 16 years. He is one of the pillars of the ossified Putin regime, which is personified by people who have not left their positions for years.
• It is not the first time that Putin has dismissed failed generals (Dvornikov, Lapin, Surovikin) during the full-scale war with Ukraine,. It was Minister Shoigu's turn.
• The new Minister of Defence, Belousov, has experience in the field of economic management, in particular in the field of defence industry. His appointment may indicate that Moscow is preparing for a protracted war. The staff changes in the Russian leadership contradict Moscow's rhetoric about readiness for negotiations and rather signal Putin's intention to intensify the confrontation with Ukraine and the West.

Center for Strategic Communication and Information Security