Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-23 and Invasion

[Solmyr]

During his China visit Putin himself said (I know, I know) that taking Kharkiv is not the plan. That sounds like he was informed that it's not going to succeed.

[Josquius]

During his China visit Putin himself said (I know, I know) that taking Kharkiv is not the plan. That sounds like he was informed that it's not going to succeed.

From all I've read the Russians have been making it clear internally for a while that the plan is to get in artillery range of Kharkiv and destroy it.
At the start of the war they expected Kharkiv to be strongly pro Russian and easily secured. That it isn't hurts their pride. The thing fascists fret about most of all.

[Tamas]

Based on what I have read and (gasp:)heard, either the objective was a proper summer offensive to take Kharkiv and its region, in which case it is a sluggish start at best, or that to create a buffer zone to reduce Ukrainian strikes on Russian infrastructure. In case of the latter this would be evidence, in my view, that the hits on refineries are really hurting.