ISW: Russia will keep bombing Kharkiv for as long as the West forbids Ukraine to defend itself

 From the Institute for the Study of War:

"Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, May 25, 2024

...Russian forces continue to leverage their sanctuary in Russian airspace to strike Kharkiv City to devastating effect, likely as part of efforts to depopulate the city and demoralize Ukrainians. Russian forces conducted four distinct missile and glide bomb strikes against Kharkiv City on May 25: a missile strike with an Iskander-M missile and S-300/S-400 air defense missiles against an educational facility just after midnight; a strike with two KAB precision-guided glide bombs against the Epicenter construction hypermarket in the city at around 1300; a strike with unspecified munitions against Central Park in Kharkiv City just after 1700; and a strike in a residential area in central Kharkiv City just after 1900.[19] The hypermarket strike sparked a fire that spread to more than 15,000 square meters and engulfed the entire hypermarket.[20] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that up to 200 people could have been in the hypermarket at the time of the strike, and Ukrainian officials have since confirmed that the Epicenter hypermarket strike has killed at least five people, injured at least 40 and that 16 are currently missing.[21] Ukrainian Kharkiv Oblast Head Oleh Synehubov reported that the evening strike against a central Kharkiv residential area has injured at least 18 people.[22]

The Russian use of precision-guided bombs against civilian areas in Kharkiv City indicates that Russia likely intends for these strikes to scare Ukrainians into leaving the city. Russian forces have been heavily targeting Kharkiv City with missile strikes and glide bombs – often FAB and KAB bombs modified with glide modules frequently equipped with guidance systems – in recent weeks in part to force residents to flee.[23] Russian aircraft have conducted these strikes from their sanctuary in Russian territory without fear of Ukrainian air defenses due to Western constraints on Ukraine using Western-provided systems against military targets in Russian territory and airspace.[24] Russian forces will very likely continue these strikes as part of the offensive operation in northern Kharkiv Oblast as long as Western prohibitions prevent Ukrainian forces from adequately challenging the Russian military's sanctuary in Russian territory...

[19] https://t.me/prokuratura_kharkiv/16351; https://t.me/police_kh_region/27998 ; https://suspilne dot media/kharkiv/753779-rosia-zrujnuvala-navcalnij-zaklad-u-slobidskomu-rajoni-harkova-naslidki-nicnih-vlucan/; https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/10473; https://t.me/ihor_terekhov/1397; https://t.me/synegubov/9706; https://t.me/synegubov/9707; https://t.me/synegubov/9708; https://t.me/synegubov/9709

[20] https://t.me/synegubov/9695; https://t.me/truexakharkiv/44572 ; https://x.com/99Dominik_/status/1794364230537498674

[21] https://t.me/ihor_terekhov/1406; https://t.me/ihor_terekhov/1408; http... https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/10474

[22] https://t.me/synegubov/9714

[23] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign... https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign...

[24] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign..."