Cхід (Jun 2023)
Stratagems of the Ukrainian and Russian troops in the battles for Kharkiv (February 24 - May 14, 2022)
Abstract
Strategies, or military tricks, are a component of military art. They also play an important role in the modern Russian-Ukrainian war. Among the Ukrainian regions, one of the key ones is the Kharkiv region with a powerful administrative center – the city of Kharkiv. Therefore, in February-May 2022, heavy battles took place around Kharkiv. Then the Defense Forces of Ukraine successfully used 8 stratagems, which helped to defeat the Russian invaders and liberate a large area of the Kharkiv Region. Russian troops also tried to use 8 stratagems, but most of them were ineffective. The reason for this was the successful actions of the Ukrainian troops, including the ability to simultaneously use several stratagems, and the miscalculations of the Russian command. It overestimated the potential of Russian troops and underestimated the combat capability of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. During the the stratagems revealing, the author's approach to the definition and analysis of military tricks was used, which was tested in previous studies. The article states that the successful use of the stratagems by Ukrainian troops in 2022 may be a consequence of preserving the heritage of the Ukrainian Cossacks and their descendants. The ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to successfully use military tricks in the battles for Kharkiv confirmed the high level of their military art.
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