“Russians will have to fight for years to capture Kharkiv” – National Guard’s commander

The Russian military may attempt to take control of Kharkiv, but their efforts are unlikely to be successful due to the immense resources and time that would be needed.

The commander of the National Guard, Oleksandr Pivnenko, stated this in an interview with Liga.net.

"They can (try to seize Kharkiv – ed.). But it won't work. They can only act classically. Two or three directions are distracting, and one is the main one. Unfortunately, this story will challenge Kharkiv due to constant attempts to sabotage critical and civil infrastructure.

Russians will have to fight for years to capture Kharkiv. Remember how long Bakhmut and Avdiivka held out. It would be easier for the Russians to change the leadership of the Russian Federation and give up their plans than to conquer the city by risking the lives of thousands more of their soldiers," the general emphasized.

Pivnenko believes that the occupiers' actions now "will not bring such problems that the commanders of the Defense Forces will run in panic and not know what to do." However, the enemy will act in directions that Ukraine does not expect.

Also, commenting on the Russians' possible new summer offensive, the commander assured that "they will not achieve their goal."

"But he will not achieve his goal. Russia will not be able to take Zaporizhzhia or Kharkiv. Even if they try something in Kyiv's direction, it will be a demonstration, although I expect certain difficulties.

There will be pressure – they will try to push forward where they can. We will move contact lines and units and deploy reserves. We will practice artillery with FPV drones," the National Guard commander said.

According to him, Ukraine has enough reserves today to understand that the enemy will not win this year.

"I can't say that everything will be bad for them. Maybe they will have some achievements. Maybe they can fulfill 10-15% of their goals," the commander suggested.

For reference:

In an interview with Glavkom at the end of March, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Synehubov, stated that the claims being made in Russia regarding a potential attack on Kharkiv are part of a psychological and informational campaign meant to incite fear among the citizens and divert the attention of Ukraine's armed forces.

In addition, ISW notes that the Kremlin has intensified strikes and information operations against the residents of Kharkiv to persuade Ukrainians to flee the city and relocate millions of people within the country.

During his turn, Ukraine's head of intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, announced a very challenging period for Ukraine and provided a new "forecast" for how events may unfold.

He specified that Ukraine will face a rather difficult situation from the middle of May to the beginning of June. However, it will not be catastrophic.

It is worth adding that the Russian forces may increase their attacks, taking advantage of the time needed to deliver new security assistance to Ukraine from the United States of America.