[As I warned in recent days, the Ukrainians had almost driven out the Russians. Now it is acknowledged that the Russians have quit and are now retreating. This is the 2nd big defeat. I was watching a German Colonel's analysis in Germany. He reckoned that in the first big defeat of the Russians, at the capital of Kyiv, that the Russian forces that were retreating were 50,000-60,000 strong. I had previously believed that the Russian Army at Kyiv was 40,000 strong. But it turns out they are much stronger. These forces have been moved 1,000 Km to East Ukraine to try and fight there. But now in Eastern Ukraine, the Russians have suffered their 2nd big defeat. It's not as big as the one they suffered in Kyiv. But it's still very big. The German analysis gives a lot more detail on what's going on, and I'm beginning to understand the lower level tactics. This is a war where artillery and tanks are playing a huge role. The Russian offensive further down to Donetsk, was aimed at surrounding the Ukrainians, but that has failed miserably. If you've ever watched my videos that deal with "Strategy versus Tactics" you'll understand the message. In this case the Russians are trying Strategy and it is flopping badly. The Ukrainians are winning through "tactics". Jan]

Here’s the latest military report regarding Kharkiv:-

May 13, 7:00 pm ET

The Russian military has likely decided to withdraw fully from its positions around Kharkiv City in the face of Ukrainian counter offensives and the limited availability of reinforcements. Russian units have generally not attempted to hold ground against counter attacking Ukrainian forces over the past several days, with a few exceptions. Reports from Western officials and a video from an officer of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) indicate that Moscow is focused on conducting an orderly withdrawal and prioritizing getting Russians back home before allowing proxy forces to enter Russia rather than trying to hold its positions near the city.

Ukraine thus appears to have won the Battle of Kharkiv. Ukrainian forces prevented Russian troops from encircling, let alone seizing Kharkiv, and then expelled them from around the city, as they did to Russian forces attempting to seize Kyiv. Ukrainian forces will likely attempt to disrupt at least the westernmost of the ground lines of communication (GLOCs) between Belgorod and Russian forces concentrated around Izyum, although Russia is using several GLOCs, including some further away from current Ukrainian positions than any Ukrainian counteroffensive is likely to reach soon. The terrain east of current Ukrainian positions may also favor the Russians attempting to defend their GLOCs, as large water features canalize movement and create chokepoints that the Ukrainians would have to break through.

There is a full report at the source link below.

Source: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-may-13