The Russian army’s usual tactic is to reduce towns and villages to ruins with aerial strikes before its units move in. NATO’s top military officer believes that Russia’s armed forces are incapable of any major advance. It reckons Moscow’s main aim in Kharkiv is to create a “buffer zone” that will prevent Ukrainian cross-border strikes on Russia’s neighboring Belgorod region. China has backed Russia diplomatically over its invasion of Ukraine and is now an important export market for Russian oil and gas. ___Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Ukraine, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed.

Source: ABC News May 16, 2024 20:36 UTC