The Russians simply walked in, Ukrainian troops in Kharkiv tell BBC

[sl8]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c72p0xx410xo

The Russians simply walked in, Ukrainian troops in Kharkiv tell BBC

3 hours ago
Jonathan Beale, Defence correspondent

Denys Yaroslavskyi is angry.

As the Commander of a Ukrainian Special Reconnaissance Unit, he fought in Ukraine’s surprise offensive in Kharkiv in the autumn of 2022, which pushed back an initial Russian invasion all the way back to the border.

[...]

He shows me video from a drone feed taken a few days ago of small columns of Russian troops simply walking across the border, unopposed.

He says officials had claimed that defences were being built at huge cost, but in his view, those defences simply weren’t there. “Either it was an act of negligence, or corruption. It wasn’t a failure. It was a betrayal”.

[...]

[Ontheboundry]

1. This is being repeated across the front

Money that was 'spent' from our first air package was on defenses, when cu appears to not have been done. Corruption has doomed the Ukraine more than anything else

[Turbineguy]

2. Is this corroborated? Sounds like Russian agitprop.

[GB_RN]

3. Yup.

There are daily diaries over on Daily Kos that aggregate news, blogs, Xitter posts, etc., and I’ve seen this same kind of thing there. Not this same accusation, mind you, but other Ukrainian accounts of Russian orcs waltzing across the border.

Keeping that in mind, the border UA and RU share is huge and Ukraine simply cannot defend it all. It’s also impossible to put up barbed wire, anti-personnel and tank mines, etc., across all that distance with all else going on. And…there’s plenty of “frontier” territory for the orcs to use - and I have seen specific mention of them crossing over from such areas.

[sl8]

4. Which part?

Regarding the Russian advances in the Karkiv region, several sources are reporting the same, including U.S. intelligence.

Regarding the paucity of built-up defenses, this BBC report is the first I've seen.

I'm not following the situation as closely as many, though.

[Deuxcents]

5. Ukraine is fighting this war by themselves. They don't have the population

That Russia has not including the mercenaries they’ve recruited. Ukraine never had the military might to defend themselves without help from US, Germany and many others who have been contributing. Our support is not enough and subject to hissy fits in congress. Ukraine had to just about start over clearing out the corruption of the past. They have proven themselves by fighting an invasion that they were not prepared for. I support their efforts and sacrifices to defend themselves and wish they could get the real support of manpower and arms to put this war behind them so they can rebuild. 🇺🇦

[Raven123]

6. Until Ukraine has the resources it needs or there is proof of resource diversion

I remain cautious in drawing conclusions about what happened at Kharkiv. Ukraine has been in an existential battle for over 2 years. They must be exhausted in every way imaginable. Combine that with the asinine political nonsense going on here and uncertainty over whether they would get necessary resources, not to mention the BEGGING Zelenskyy has had to do repeatedly while outside nations ponder what to do and it doesn’t surprise me that an event that defies logic might occur.

I hope corruption is not the explanation, but I withhold judgment at this time.

[Chainfire]

7. In a battle where one side is much larger than the other, time works on the side of the larger entity.

Ukraine has been amazing holding off the bear for as long as they have. Russia should have defeated them in two weeks.

We are shortsided letting a dictator take over a democracy in Europe. We haven't learned a damn thing from history. The French and Germans better wake the hell up and do what is necessary to keep Putin and Russia in check. It would be like us giving minimal assistance to Canada if they were under attack from China. You know who is next...