Bundeswehr’s ex-general says Ukraine Army’s operation in Kharkiv region “great success”

That’s according to German Bundeswehr’s lieutenant general (retired) Roland Kather, now a military expert, who spoke with Ukrinform.

"The actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were successful, for now the Russian attack has stopped, the offensive on Kharkiv has been stopped. Thus, this entire operation in Kharkiv region and around Vovchansk was a great success," Kather said.

He drew attention to the fact that at this very time, the West, some NATO allies, including the United States, allowed the use of Western weapons in certain parts of the adjacent Russian territory, where Russia is concentrating its troops. This gave a significant advantage to the Armed Forces, which were able to slow down the Russian offensive and, if not stop it completely, then at least greatly complicate the replenishment of the enemy's reserves. The Russians are currently making no further attempts to launch an offensive, the expert added. At the same time, he did not rule out that the Russians will prepare for a new attempt in the future.

"However, I believe the Ukrainian Armed Forces will find out in time whether a new offensive is in the works, in particular, thanks to intelligence, including with the help of drones, and will be very well prepared for this," Kather opined, adding that the same applies to possible plans the Russians might have for Sumy region.

The former general noted that a really big threat was looming over Kharkiv region as the enemy could create a bridgehead to attack Kharkiv in the future. At the same time, he admitted that the threat remains in place. Russia’s goal, in his opinion, may be to build a "bridge" between Bakhmut and Kharkiv and achieve a turning point in the war thanks to this. Ukraine's goal is to prevent this from happening, the expert said.

He also drew attention to the threat associated with the transfer of Ukrainian reserves to Kharkiv region from other axes. Because of this, "gaps" could appear in the areas of ​​Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar, where the Russians have recently been able to achieve some gains, albeit local ones.

"The Armed Forces urgently need more personnel. I consider this issue almost as important at the moment as that of stockpiling military materiel," the expert said.

He noted that against the background of the increase in the supply of Western weapons, the problem of ammunition shortage has ceased to be the hottest topic for now.

"The decisive, most important topic is currently air defense. And it is critical that the Western nations now find opportunities together to strengthen Ukrainian air defenses," Kather emphasized.

He recalled that Germany is doing precisely that: in a few weeks, when the crew training is completed, Germany will transfer the next, third Patriot system, as well as two more Iris-T systems, "which are similar in quality and can protect such cities as Kharkiv or Sumy".

As Ukrinform reported earlier, against the backdrop of successful counterattacks by Ukrainian forces near Kharkiv, the Russian invaders are pulling their forces from the Donetsk direction to the Kharkiv axis. According to the spokesman for the Kharkiv Grouping of Troops, Colonel Yuriy Povkh, the Russian Armed Forces have redeployed parts of the 155th separate naval infantry brigade and 18th motorized rifle division to the Lyptsi area to replace units that have lost their combat capability. In addition, the Russians are bringing additional military units toward Vovchansk.

Roland Kather is a retired Bundeswehr lieutenant general. From April to August 1996, Kather served as the Chief of Staff of the German IFOR contingent in Trogir, Croatia. From December 1999 to June 2000, Brigadier General Kather served as Commander of the multinational KFOR Brigade South and was also commander of the German forces in Kosovo in Prizren. During his last appointment, he was the military representative of Germany in the NATO Military Committee and the European Union Military Committee (EUMC) in Brussels.