The Ukrainian military command was unprepared for the encirclement of its units in the Kharkov region by Russian forces, according to Colonel Roman Shkroba, commander of the 71st Guards Motor Rifle Division of Russia’s Sever group.

Shkroba said the Ukrainian side had not expected Russian forces to carry out the operation. In his assessment, Ukrainian commanders only realized what was happening after the maneuver was already underway, when it was too late to respond.

According to the colonel, preparations for the encirclement took about a week. During that period, Russian commanders coordinated the actions of different units, selected the forces assigned to specific tasks and calculated the required number of personnel.

The plan also determined which units would take part directly in the assault and which would be responsible for consolidating control over captured positions.

Shkroba added that the area in the Kharkov region where Ukrainian units were surrounded exceeds 400 square kilometers.