What unfolded on the battlefield of Kharkiv oblast in recent days was a remarkable turning point in Ukraine’s desperate battle to resist Russia’s invasion. A more agile force chased a lumbering army into retreat. The war is not over by any means, but the counteroffensive in Kharkiv has exposed anew Russian President Vladimir Putin’s catastrophic miscalculations that Ukraine would collapse, that it would surrender, that it would be steamrolled by Russia’s massive armor. Not so.
The meaning of Ukraine’s strike in Kharkiv — and Russia’s retreat
Russia apparently figured the next battle would be for Kherson, to the south, and redeployed forces in that direction, only to be surprised when Ukraine struck to the north in Kharkiv. In a matter of days, Ukrainian forces have taken control of almost all of Kharkiv oblast, rolling back months of Russian occupation and advances. The scenes described by Post correspondents include Russian soldiers dropping their rifles and fleeing on stolen bicycles, disguised as locals, abandoning armor and uniforms.
The forces of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have demonstrated ingenuity and exploited the powerful artillery and other weapons provided by the United States to wreak havoc on Russia’s supply lines. But one counteroffensive does not make a victory. Ukraine must keep the pressure up to expel Russia from other areas; the battle for Kherson must still be fought. The exhilaration of recent days must be a reminder to the U.S. Congress and to Europe that a maximum effort to supply Ukraine now is an investment in a successful outcome later. Ukraine has a long wish list of needed weapons systems. At the very least, President Biden’s recent request for $13.7 billion in aid to Ukraine is sensible and deserves quick action.
Mr. Putin has been clueless to his own folly. Perhaps Russian units collapsing and troops fleeing in fear will get his attention. But little is certain about how he will respond. The Russian rocket barrage aimed at civilian electrical and water facilities in Ukraine was a vengeful retaliation that could foreshadow still more brutality and a determination to grind on. Mr. Putin has tried to keep the Russian people anesthetized with propaganda, but he must also worry when signs of discontent bubble up, as in recent days when local politicians in Moscow and St. Petersburg dared to openly accuse him of treason and call for him to resign.
Mr. Putin ought to read Mr. Zelensky’s message to him on Telegram on Sunday, after the rocket attacks. “Do you still think that you can scare us, break us, make us make concessions?” the Ukrainian president asked. “You really did not understand anything? Don’t understand who we are? What are we for? What are we talking about?”
“Read my lips: Without gas or without you? Without you. Without light or without you? Without you. Without water or without you? Without you. Without food or without you? Without you.”
“Cold, hunger, darkness and thirst are not as scary and deadly for us as your ‘friendship and brotherhood,’ ” Mr. Zelensky added. “But history will put everything in its place. And we will be with gas, light, water and food … and WITHOUT you!”
Source: WP
