Putin 'throwing everything' at Kharkiv, claims Ukraine

Russians attempt to exhaust city’s outgunned defenders as US secretary of state visits Kyiv and says aid is on its way

- ALEXANDER BUTLER

Ukraine expects Russia to throw as many of its resources as possible at an attack on Kharkiv as Kyiv’s forces are “on the edge” given how badly they are outgunned by Moscow’s troops.

Spy chief General Kyrylo Budanov said the assault by Vladimir Putin’s forces is intended to exhaust Kyiv’s thin reserves across the frontline. Russian troops have captured at least six villages in the last week after storming the northeastern border region, forcing thousands of residents to flee.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, made a surprise visit to Kyiv yesterday to reassure Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that long-delayed American military aid is on its way and will make a “real difference” on the battlefield.

Last month, President Biden signed a $60bn (£47.6bn) aid package for Ukraine after months of blocking by Donald Trumpsupporting parts of the Republican party. The delay in passing the package has left Ukraine’s soldiers having to ration the use of shells and artillery on the frontline, creating a chance to gain ground that Moscow is keen to take advantage of.

The Kharkiv region has come under particular pressure in the last couple of weeks, with officials making clear just how stretched things are.

“All of our forces are either here [around Kharkiv] or in Chasiv Yar,” Gen Budanov said, referring to a stronghold about 120 miles south of Kharkiv in the eastern Donetsk region, which is also under an intense assault by Russia. “I’ve used everything we have. Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone else in the reserves,” Gen Budanov told the New York Times.