On May 9, Russia celebrates Victory Day, marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. Leading up to this year’s celebrations, there were concerns that Russia would launch an offensive in Ukraine on the date to present a victory to Vladimir Putin. As predicted, Russian forces attacked a village in northern Ukraine on Victory Day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attempted expansion of operations by Russian troops against Ukraine.
Despite the Russian forces’ attempts to surprise the Ukrainians with their offensive on May 9, the Ukrainians were aware of the plan due to the increased bombing by the Russian air force near Kharkiv in the days leading up to the ground assault. The Ukrainian territorial forces were ready to defend the village of Pylna, where the Russian mechanized force rolled in. The Ukrainian troops, including the Perun drone team from the 42nd Mechanized Brigade, successfully fought off the Russian forces, destroying several BMP fighting vehicles.
Russian propagandist Alexander Igorevich Kots claimed that Russian forces advanced south of Pylna, but there is no evidence to support his claim. The modest assault by the Russians only resulted in minor gains in a small village. Analysts are skeptical about the capability of the 400,000-person Russian force in Ukraine to launch a significant offensive in the north while maintaining other campaigns elsewhere. There are possibilities that the Russian offensive on Victory Day was a feint to distract Ukrainian forces and prevent the use of reserves in more critical areas.
The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies suggested that the Russian goal might be to divert Ukrainian defenders and prevent the use of critical reserves in more crucial areas of the country. While the Russian strategy appears to be working to some extent by compelling Ukraine to send reserve units to the north, there is no indication that the Ukrainian commanders plan to shift entire brigades away from strategically important areas. The Victory Day feint may have only resulted in minor impacts for Russia, such as damaged equipment and soldiers, as well as diverting a small number of Ukrainian reservists.
