Commander of the National Guard: «The Russian Federation can go on the defensive in a month and a half»

Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr Pivnenko. Photo from open sources

The commander of the National Guard of Ukraine, Oleksandr Pivnenko, believes that in a month or a half, the Russian troops will not be able to carry out active offensive actions in several directions at the same time and will be forced to go on the defensive.

He stated this in an interview with Ukrinform, assessing the situation at the front.

«Hard. But the enemy's offensive capabilities are not limitless, and how many losses they will suffer... I think, another month or a half and they will not be able to conduct active assaults in many directions at once and will be on the defensive in any case. And during this time we need to form our divisions and prepare them. Yes, this is war,» he said.

Oleksandr Pivnenko noted that the Armed Forces should find the enemy's weak spots and avoid his strong points.

«We need to adapt, change the management model, set tasks: if it doesn't work like that, try asymmetrically. But you can't radically change everything, everything takes time, especially if we talk about systemic changes,» he said.

Russian offensive on Kharkiv Oblast

It will be recalled that Russian troops intensified their shelling in the northern direction of the Kharkiv region. First of all, the enemy attacks the city of Vovchansk.

Reserve units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been sent to strengthen the defense in the Vovchansk direction. The military continues to hold back the enemy's advance.

Subsequently, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that the Russian army launched a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv direction. He noted that the military command knew about the enemy's plans for a new offensive and calculated the forces to respond to the attack.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on the strengthening of positions in the Kharkiv region, where defensive operations continue.

It was also reported that the pace of Russian offensive operations in the north of the Kharkiv region has slowed down. According to analysts, Russian troops prefer the creation of a «buffer zone» near the border, rather than a deeper advance into the Kharkiv region. Defense forces prevent the enemy from gaining a foothold in Vovchansk.

In the Kharkiv region, Russian troops expanded the zone of active hostilities by almost 70 kilometers and concentrated their main efforts in the direction of Strilecha-Lyptsi and captured Vovchansk and launched an offensive in the rear of Ukrainian troops.

It is noted that the Russian occupiers in the northern part of Vovchansk in the Kharkiv Region are taking civilians prisoner, there have been recorded cases of shooting civilians.

On May 17, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has no plans to capture Kharkiv. And he justifies the intensification of the offensive in the Kharkiv direction with shelling of Belgorod from the side of Ukraine.

On May 19, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian troops had strengthened their positions in the Kharkiv Region and were ready to confront the enemy.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that after «insignificant successes» during the offensive on Vovchansk, the Russians were «completely bogged down in street battles for the city.»

On May 24, the representative of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ihor Prokhorenko stated that the Defense Forces of Ukraine stopped the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv Region and are conducting counteroffensive actions.