Vladimir Putin's thugs launch psyop in Ukraine's second city as fresh invasion fears mount

Russia is combining its long-running bombardment of Ukraine's second city with a "coordinated information operation" to sow panic among residents, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has said.

According to the independent think tank: "Kremlin mouthpieces are seizing on concerns about a future Russian offensive operation against Kharkiv City to conduct a likely coordinated information operation in an effort to create outsized panic among Ukrainians."

Well-known Russian state television propagandist Vladimir Solovyov is among those focusing on Kharkiv, issuing chilling threats towards the city, which is situated in the northeast of Ukraine.

On March 28, he said Vladimir Putin's forces should destroy Kharkiv City "quarter by quarter," after giving civilians there a 48-hour-deadline to evacuate, the ISW's Monday-evening update said.

The think tank also pointed to claims published in Russian neo-nationalist outlet Tsargrad that an offensive operation to capture the strategically significant city was "inevitable."

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It also warned that the fighting seen there will be "worse than Bakhmut and Avdiivka," which have been hit with relentless Russian onslaughts, but said capturing Kharkiv will also be difficult for Putin's troops.

The city has been under almost constant attack from Russian forces in recent months. Kharkiv has long been close to the frontlines of the war, and Russia's forces are looking to exploit its closeness to the fighting, as well as Ukrainian air defence shortages due to hold-ups in further Western aid packages.

For months, Russia has been assembling its forces on the northeastern Luhansk-Kharkiv front, as it looks to break through cities like Kupiansk, as well as Kharkiv.

Putin's invading army may hope to recapture territory Ukraine won back in its fall 2022 counterattacks.

The US Senate returned to Washington on Tuesday to vote on legislation providing $61 billion for Ukraine as the war-torn country desperately needs new firepower and as Putin has stepped up his attacks.

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The support has been stalling on Capitol Hill for months amid political wrangling, as Ukraine begged Western allies for further assistance.

Ukrainian soldiers have struggled to hold the front lines as Russia has seized the momentum on the battlefield and gained significant territory.

President Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday the US will send badly needed air defence weaponry as soon as the legislation is passed. The House approved the package Saturday in a series of four votes, sending it back to the Senate for final approval.

The think tank said that Russia's hopes of taking Kharkiv would likely be frustrated if Ukraine gets the help it needs fast.

"ISW assesses that the likelihood of a successful Russian ground offensive against Kharkiv is very low if Ukraine receives renewed US military aid rapidly," it wrote in the update.

"ISW continues to assess that the Russians lack the forces necessary to seize the city as long as Ukrainian forces defending it are adequately supplied, as they will be if the US restarts military assistance soon," the ISW said.