The occupiers decided to completely leave their positions near Kharkiv – Institute for the Study of War

What happened? Ukrainian defenders did not allow the russian military to surround Kharkiv, and now the occupiers have probably decided to completely leave their positions around the city.

Source. This was reported by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)

Details. russian units have generally not attempted to hold ground against counterattacking Ukrainian forces over the past several days, with a few exceptions. Reports from Western officials and a video of an officer of the Donetsk People’s Republic show that moscow is focused on conducting an orderly withdrawal and prioritizing getting russians back home, rather than trying to hold its positions near the city.

russian invaders will try to keep the line west of Vovchansk to protect their lines of communication (GLOC) between Belgorod and Izyum, but it is unclear whether they will succeed.

The main effort of the occupiers is focused on attempts to surround Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in Luhansk region from the north and from the south. russian troops attacking from Popasna to the north made no significant progress in recent days.

The occupiers, moving from north to south, were unable to cross the Siverskyi Donets River and suffered devastating losses. The enemy may not have enough fresh combat power to compensate for those losses and continue the offensive on a large enough scale.