‘Ukraine’s clever diversion in Kharkiv succeeded because it was so credible’ says ex-commander

'Ukraine's clever diversion in Kharkiv succeeded because it was so credible' says ex-commander

'Ukraine's clever diversion in Kharkiv succeeded because it was so credible' says ex-commander. Image: Ukraine MoD/Facebook

ACCORDING to Jarmo Lindberg, a former commander of the Defence Forces of Finland, Ukraine’s clever diversion succeeded in Kharkiv because it was so credible.

“Ukraine’s successful offensive in the Kharkiv region was based on a clever diversion that was built up to be entirely credible,” Lindberg said in an interview with STT on Wednesday, September 14.

He added: “In addition to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s openly expressed intentions to attack, Ukraine also massed troops in the south at Kherson, where it used long-range weapons in a manner reminiscent of normal offensive preparations.

“This gave the Russians good reason to believe that an attack was imminent.”

He added: “It is quite rare that the commander-in-chief himself gives a five-point hint as to which direction the next attack will take. But now it’s in a different context, it was part of this diversionary story.

“The diversion must seem strategically sound and the story plausible, but then it all has to be proven by action. After all, the Russians have satellites to see whether there are troops there or not.”

As noted, on Monday, September 12, Ukraine recaptured nearly the whole of the Kharkiv Oblast in a rapid counter-offensive against Russia’s forces, according to the US Institute for the study of war (ISW).

On Tuesday, September 13, British intelligence revealed that the Russian 1st Guards Tank Army was pushed out from Kharkiv.

“Elements of the Russian forces withdrawn from Kharkiv Oblast over the last week were from the 1st Guards Tank Army (1 GTA), which are subordinate to the Western Military District (WEMD),” the British MoD said at the time.

The British MoD added: “1 GTA suffered heavy casualties in the initial phase of the invasion and had not been fully reconstituted prior to the Ukrainian counter-offensive in Kharkiv.

“1 GTA had been one of the most prestigious of Russia’s armies, allocated for the defence of Moscow, and intended to lead counter-attacks in the case of a war with NATO.

“With 1 GTA and other WEMD formations severely degraded, Russia’s conventional force designed to counter NATO is severely weakened. It will likely take years for Russia to rebuild this capability.”

Also on Tuesday, September 13, Ukraine’s Armed Forces announced that they had officially ‘liberated’ five settlements in the Kherson region.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine said they had liberated about 500 square kilometres of territory in the Kherson region over the past two weeks.

“The settlements of the Kherson region – Vysokopillya, Novovoznesenske, Bilohirka, Myroliubivka and Sukhyi Stavok – have been officially confirmed to be liberated from the occupants,” according to the spokesman of Odesa Regional Military Administration, Serhiy Bratchuk.


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Written by

Matthew Roscoe

Originally from the UK, Matthew is based on the Costa Blanca and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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