The Russian retreat from Kharkiv is interesting. It implies that Russia is unable to achieve its objectives there, and moreover, Ukraine has seemed for a while to actually have the upper hand there. The chances are that the Russian forces that were in the Kharkiv region are simply too spent to be useful there, or possible anywhere else either for a while. This leaves Ukraine able to move some military strength elsewhere, with Russia unable to fully answer this. That is, this should make it even harder for Russia to achieve its objectives elsewhere.
In this light, what Ukraine's head of military intelligence said in a Sky News interview certainly gains some credibility: 'As a result, we will renew Ukrainian power in all our territories that we have lost including Donbas and the Crimea.' At this rate, Russia will have to find new ways to react to the situation in Ukraine, but right now, it's not looking great for Russia.
