EXCLUSIVE: Balakliya Was Russian Weak Point – General

Russian commanders began redeploying troops and resources on the southern front back in August, which made it possible to carry out a successful Ukrainian offensive operation on both the Kherson and Kharkiv fronts. 

According to General Vadym Skibitsky of Ukrainian military intelligence, it was necessary to halt the pace of the Russian army’s offensive, primarily on the Donetsk front. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kyiv Post, he said that the primary goal of the Russian military, which remains the same today, is the complete occupation of the Donetsk region. Because of this, all necessary measures were taken to prevent the advancement of Russian troops in the Donetsk Region.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence carried out all the necessary tasks to expose the enemy’s plans and halt Russian troops’ advance along the entire front line. Thanks to data acquired by military intelligence, the planning for this counteroffensive was able to go ahead.

“We understood that it would also be necessary to carry out counter-offensive actions on the Kharkiv front. First and foremost, because of the persistent threat to Kharkiv, as Russian occupiers are still shelling the city,” Skibitsky underlined.

He added that “it was already apparent in spring that Balakliya is a Russian weak point is Balakliya. We understood in June that it is possible to carry out an offensive on the Balakliya front. The actions we planned in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions helped us to develop the overall success of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

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At that time, some of the positions held by the Russian Army, especially regarding the reserves, were not completely clear. It became manifest when the Russians began actively moving their troops- essentially the strategic resources of the eastern district – from the Kharkiv and Donetsk fronts.

Within one month, Russian commanders moved all their troops to the south. It created the conditions for successful actions by the Ukrainian Army on the Kherson and  Kharkiv fronts to develop this success. The main aim is to de-occupy all captured territories.”