May 13, 2024

Russia Goes After Kharkiv, Again


Russia Goes After Kharkiv, Again
Russian soldier pointing a rifle in front of a military vehicle. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons.

On May 10, Russia attempted to break Ukraine's northeastern line of defense in Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian forces evacuated 1,775 civilians in villages neighboring the Russo-Ukrainian border.

Kharkiv Oblast was one of the first territories affected by the Russian invasion that began on February 24, 2022. Russian forces occupied a significant portion of the region, but could not capture the capital. By September 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had retaken most of the oblast's territory.

After Russia's recent elections, there was speculation that Russia was preparing a new wave of mass mobilizations to encircle the city of Kharkiv after the presidential elections were over. On May 10, the second-largest city in Ukraine woke up to a barrage of artillery and rockets.

On May 11, The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram that a Russian unit had "liberated" five villages. Per the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration head, Oleh Syniehubov, the northeast of Ukraine is "fully controlled" [by Ukraine]. Yet Syniehubov admitted there is heavy fighting in the captured towns. He also said the Russian army attempted to advance in other directions in this region, but Ukrainian defenses stopped them. "There is no threat of a ground invasion of Kharkiv," Syniehubov said.

According to the BBC, Russia does not have enough forces to advance deep into Kharkiv, but it is also unclear how many men it is willing to use in this maneuver. The Ukrainian Armed Forces declared the area by the border with Russia's Belgorod Oblast a gray zone, which means Ukraine is on the defensive.

Two 48- and 50-year-old civilians were killed by guided missiles during Russia's attack on Kharkiv. Most of the evacuees were elderly. Sixty-one-year-old Lyubov Nikolaieva and her octogenarian mother were among those who left. The sounds of bombs and mortar shells became terrifying. Nikolaieva said, "It became impossible to live there ... [we] stayed there until the last moment."

 

You Might Also Like

Returning Home to Kill
  • April 29, 2024

Returning Home to Kill

More than 100 persons have been killed by returning Russian soldiers since the beginning of Russia's War on Ukraine.
A Brick in AWOL
  • April 16, 2024

A Brick in AWOL

In March 2024, Russian military courts began handing down about 34 sentences a day for unauthorized abandonment of military service.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955