Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia does not intend to seize the Kharkiv region, despite launching an offensive there last week and suffering great losses.
Putin stated that the current goal is to establish a “security zone” around the border to protect the Russian city of Belgorod, which has been targeted by Ukrainian forces. Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, lies about 30 kilometers from the Russian border, while Belgorod is approximately 40 kilometers inside Russia.
Putin States No Interest in Ukrainian City
Putin asserted that Ukrainian forces have been attacking Belgorod, necessitating the creation of a security zone to prevent further strikes. He said, “there are no such plans today” for a full-scale capture of Kharkiv and emphasized that the Russian troops’ primary objective is to protect residential areas in Belgorod from Ukrainian attacks.
Despite these assertions, Russian casualties in the ongoing offensive are reportedly high. According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russia has lost 1,572 soldiers in the last week alone, bringing the total personnel losses to 493,690 since the beginning of the invasion.
Additionally, Kyiv estimates serious Russian equipment losses, including 7,590 tanks, 14,665 armored fighting vehicles, and over 10,000 drones. Ukraine has not responded directly to Putin’s claims but has previously stated that its military targets legitimate strategic assets, such as oil refineries, in the Belgorod area.
The last official Russian death toll was reported in September 2022, with Moscow claiming 5,937 troops had been killed. Russia has not commented on the latest Ukrainian estimates of their losses.
