Liberation of Kharkiv Region: Ukraine’s Blitzkrieg

September 12, 2022November 23, 2025

Probably it’s no longer a secret to anyone that the Armed Forces of Ukraine knocked the enemy out of the entire Kharkiv region and are now pursuing them in the Luhansk region. The swift operation for the liberation of Kharkiv region became iconic from many points of view. Western press unambiguously indicates that this was a real example of blitzkrieg. This operation is already being analyzed by the world’s leading armies and is going into military art textbooks.

European press savors this operation even more actively. The fear they lived in due to Moscow’s military threat is now washing away completely. European press writes that in five days of offensive operation, the Armed Forces freed more territory than putin’s entire army captured from April to September.

What Made This Operation Historic

The most important thing here was that the Armed Forces for the first time powerfully showed their increased capabilities precisely in this combat format. Everyone anxiously waited for exactly how our military would liberate Ukraine’s territory. Now everyone understands they can do it quickly and in a way the enemy simply doesn’t know how to do in principle. It became clear that in general, they have nothing to oppose this combat format.

Now everyone, including the enemy, admits that the Armed Forces can execute such swift strikes. This means Ukraine can de‑occupy huge areas — even an entire region — in about a week, as proven during the liberation of Kharkiv region. Our military gained excellent practical experience of offensive war. Some things probably didn’t work as desired. Therefore, the next offensive will be planned better. It will be more effective and destructive for the enemy.

We know how this happened and at what price because we see much with our own eyes. We just want to remind simple truths that “keyboard special forces” and “YouTube generals” miss.

The Military Science Behind It

Any offensive operation in its ideal variant aims to break through enemy defense, which may consist of two or more lines. Further — the operational depth of the troops’ rear begins. This means there are no defense lines there a priori because the command doesn’t have forces and means to build dozens of these same lines. Therefore, it assumes troops can hold back the enemy’s attack. If it turns out too powerful, defense lines will smoothly shift to the rear without breaks and failures.

If this fails, the attacking side breaks through the saturated defense and enters this very space where no one and nothing can hold back the strike grouping anymore. This continuation is called “breaking out into operational space”. Now the attacking side, based on initial plans and forces and means brought under them, can go deep into the enemy’s rear, cutting their communications. Or it turns right or left, forming an encirclement of troops that ended up on the flanks of the breakthrough strip. In that case, the enemy, if they have enough forces, tries to cut off the attacking grouping with flank strikes. But if this doesn’t work — they must retreat to avoid getting into a cauldron.

Speed Creates Chaos

In this whole situation, there’s another important variable — the speed of the attacking side’s advance in the enemy’s operational rear. If this happens quickly, then the defending side’s flanks must retreat even faster to avoid being encircled. From here arises that very pace of retreat called “flight”. At a certain moment, such speed is required from the fleeing that they have no time to destroy their warehouses and storage facilities, much less heavy and by definition slow-moving equipment.

This is precisely what we observe now. Our troops broke through enemy defense and entered operational space. They did so at an extremely high, unprecedented pace. Therefore, the enemy fled exactly as described above. The fleeing mass of troops has no heavy equipment. They have no ammunition stock. They have nothing that would let them stop and defend themselves effectively.

So they flee where the Armed Forces supposedly shouldn’t go, namely — across the border or behind old defensive lines, hoping for the presence of defense means there. That is, this is a classic of the genre, well described in military art textbooks. Our army outplayed the Russians at all levels and therefore — smashes the enemy as it sees fit. The liberation of Kharkiv region demonstrated Ukrainian forces’ superior planning and execution at every level of modern warfare.

Why Does Victory Love Silence?

Now, regarding maps that show the disposition of forces and means, as well as confirmations or non-confirmations of what our military have already managed to recapture from the enemy. By the way, let’s remind once again why the General Staff insistently asks not to give specific information until official confirmation. This follows from how our military operate. They show speed and extremely high-maneuver warfare that the enemy hasn’t seen since the blitzkrieg in World War II. Moreover, they act devastatingly and precisely, thanks to new technical capabilities.

The coordination and interaction of various units, as well as the level of communication that the Armed Forces have now fully established, allows creating real miracles. Maneuver groups knock down the enemy’s barriers and block posts. As soon as it becomes clear that in this specific place the enemy tries to offer resistance, long-range artillery fire is immediately called. It largely replaces aviation for us. The enemy is struck by rapid, dense, and extremely high-precision fire. The enemy understands they caught a taxi to hell and flees from the specific settlement. Our strike group moves further.

The Gap Between Liberation and Confirmation

The enemy already left. Ours moved forward on the shoulders of retreating enemy. But is this settlement ours? Maybe yes, maybe no. Until infantry units, sappers, canine handlers, and SBU units enter, the settlement can’t be declared safe. Until they clear it of enemy remnants and accomplices, it hasn’t returned under Ukraine’s jurisdiction. The occupiers’ orders no longer operate there. But our laws haven’t been restored yet.

Only after a complex of measures for clearing and restarting our legislation’s operation has been worked out in the settlement can the settlement be declared returned to Ukraine’s composition. Sometimes this gap can be a day or two. During this time, highlighting its name is forbidden.

The Strategic Advantage

Let’s return to where we started. Reaching the border with the enemy gives a lot, especially in the case of Kharkiv. The enemy got used to pounding the city with all available artillery. When return fire arrived, everything happened on our own territory. Now the situation has changed. As soon as the enemy tries to shell Kharkiv again, return and high-precision strike will fly at them.

The Orcs* didn’t assume everything would turn out this way. Therefore, all infrastructure directed against Ukraine is concentrated in a couple dozen kilometers from our border. This means it’s now fully accessible to our artillery.

We all remember how in the first hours of the large-scale invasion, the enemy pounded our airports, oil depots, and such. Well, Belgorod also has an airport and oil depot. Therefore, we advise Orcs living near such places and reading our site to leave the city. The liberation of Kharkiv region changed everything — now the threat goes both ways.