The Most Successful Since World War II. Syrskyi, Bargylevych and Patsevich Discussed Details of the Kharkiv Operation (photos)

On the Nová Krayina platform they recalled the events of 2022 and discussed contemporary challenges.

Four years ago, in a matter of weeks the Defense Forces liberated 11,5 thousand sq. km and nearly 500 settlements in the Kharkiv region, including Balakliia, Izium, Kupiansk. This breakthrough, unexpected for the Russians but clearly planned by the Defense Forces, is considered the most successful offensive operation of this war. How it unfolded on the anniversary of the counteroffensive — on the Nová Krayina platform (a joint project of LB.ua and EFI Group) — was recalled by:

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (February 2024 - July 2026), at the time of the Kharkiv operation — commander of the Ground Forces and of the OSUV “Khortytsia”;

Oleksandr Syrskyi

Ihor Terekhov, mayor of Kharkiv;

Ihor Terekhov

Anatolii Bargylevych, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at the time of the Kharkiv offensive — chief of staff of the Operational-Strategic Grouping “Khortytsia”;

Anatolii Bargylevych

Oleksandr Patsevich, Deputy Head of the National Police — head of the patrol police;

Oleksandr Patsevich

Ihor Liski, head of EFI Group.

Ihor Liski

The Kharkiv direction was only one of three being considered for an auxiliary operation in the summer of 2022 that would have drawn Russian forces away from Kherson, where Ukrainian offensive actions were taking place. In addition to it, Horlivka and Lysychansk were also considered, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, then commander of the Ground Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

“When choosing the location for the operation, the primary considerations were the enemy, the nature of his actions, and the concentration of his main offensive groupings. Preliminary planning and forecasts indicated that the most successful actions would be on the Kharkiv direction in the area of Balakliia,” Oleksandr Syrskyi said.

Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (February 2024 - July 2026), at the time of the Kharkiv operation — commander of the Ground Forces

“We developed different courses of action depending on the enemy’s behavior. …We prepared reserves and from 29 August concentrated in the staging area. We rehearsed coordination again. And although the enemy actively conducted reconnaissance and we had delays with ammunition, the operation was successful in principle. On the first day we broke through the defense and advanced into the depth by 19 km. On the second day — another 29,” the former Commander-in-Chief added, calling the Kharkiv operation “the most successful not only of this war, but since World War II.”

In the Balakliia area, Bargylevych, who was chief of staff of the Operational-Strategic Grouping “Khortytsia” at the time of the Kharkiv offensive, added that the terrain’s features limited the number of routes available for our forces to advance.

Anatolii Bargylevych, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at the time of the Kharkiv offensive — chief of staff of the Operational-Strategic Grouping

“We had to make tremendous efforts to covertly, at night over a month to a month and a half, lay these routes, clear minefields mine by mine, covertly day by day, so that the troops could move directly to the forward edge.

And it was unexpected for the enemy, unexpected for everyone in that area. That’s why we achieved such immediate success. A colossal success. It is the only operation that went precisely from start to finish: it began early in the morning and ended five days later at the 20 hour. You could time it like clockwork — each unit’s action, each soldier, coordination, movement,” he noted.

The current Deputy Head of the National Police and head of the patrol police Oleksandr Patsevich took part in the Kharkiv offensive as deputy commander of OSUV “Khortytsia”:

“The task was not just for me to move, but also to move police units into the grouping that could perform not only the tasks of restoring law and order and re-establishing administration, but also directly participate in liberating those settlements.

Oleksandr Patsevich, Deputy Head of the National Police — head of the patrol police

We deployed three units — “Luhansk-1”, the “West” battalion, and a consolidated patrol police battalion. The commanders of the respective units did not even understand the overall task at that time, Patsevich shared. “Our task together with the National Guard, the Security Service of Ukraine, and other units was precisely to clear those settlements that were being bypassed and encircled. The assault brigades moved, bypassed the settlements, and then we, without the support of those brigades and without artillery (it wasn’t available then; now we have assets and heavy equipment) had to clear the settlements.”

“In addition, we carried out tasks directly in assault actions during the fights to liberate Verbivka and Balakliia,” he added.

Ihor Terekhov, mayor of Kharkiv

In 2022, recalled Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov, the city was shelled nearly every hour.

“I am very grateful for this offensive, because even though we all trusted our Armed Forces and actively supported them (this is the 92 brigade, which did incredible things, special units, territorial defense that was forming, every person who stood in line at the military recruitment offices), sabotage and reconnaissance groups entered the city. Russian forces were deployed along the ring road and were shelling Kharkiv, residential buildings, residential neighborhoods with direct fire. There was not an hour in the city without shelling of residential quarters and the central area. All types of weapons the Russians had at that time were in Kharkiv, from military aircraft, which bombed the city, to tanks, APCs, and the rest,” Terekhov noted. At that time, according to him, of the two million population only 320 thousand remained in the city. After the operation the situation in the city, Terekhov said, improved significantly, although it cannot yet be called unequivocally calm.

Businessman and chairman of the supervisory board of investment company EFI Group Ihor Liski considers the Kharkiv offensive underrated and one that changed the course of the war.

Ihor Liski, head of EFI Group

“Hostomel (referring to the battle for Hostomel in the first month of the full-scale war — Ed.) gave us a chance. Azovstal bought us time. And the Kharkiv operation mentally changed the approach to this war. Only during the Kharkiv operation did we rid ourselves of this inferiority complex.

For the first time on the international stage they talked about the fact that Ukraine not only would not lose, but could win. As hard as it really was, it was the elimination of the inferiority complex for the entire Ukrainian nation forever,” Ihor Liski is confident.

More detailed recollections of the discussion participants about those times, as well as thoughts about the current situation on the front, will be published soon on LB.ua.

Ihor Liski, Anatolii Bargylevych, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Oleksandr Patsevich, Ihor Terekhov and Sonya Koshkina during the discussion

Anatolii Bargylevych, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, at the time of the Kharkiv offensive — chief of staff of the Operational-Strategic Grouping

Oleksandr Patsevich, Deputy Head of the National Police — head of the patrol police

Ihor Terekhov, mayor of Kharkiv

Editor-in-chief of LB.ua Sonya Koshkina

Ihor Liski, Anatolii Bargylevych, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Oleksandr Patsevich, Ihor Terekhov (right)

Oleksii Biloshytskyi

television journalist and Armed Forces officer Artem Shevchenko

Editor-in-chief of LB.ua Sonya Koshkina

Former Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Armed Forces serviceman Ihor Shvaika

People’s Deputy Serhii Rakhmanin

People’s Deputy Yehor Cherniev

Kateryna Amelina, journalist at LB.ua, editor of the Defense Tech section

People’s Deputy Serhii Vlasenko

Petro Okhotin, information security specialist, serviceman (center)

Former Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hanna Maliar

Marketer Olena Kalenska (left) Tetiana Abramova (Rito Group)

Director of the Journalism Center Andrii Yanitskyi

Viktoriia Butenko, producer for CNN in Ukraine

serviceman, former deputy commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Pavlo Yelizarov (right) and Dmytro Zolotukhin, expert on information wars and competitive intelligence (left)

Hulia Sokolova (KMEF) and People’s Deputy Yehor Cherniev

Editor-in-chief of LB.ua Sonya Koshkina

Kostiantyn Kharakoz, judge of the Commercial Court of Donetsk region, Member of the Council of Judges of Ukraine

Journalist at LB.ua Anzhelika Syzonenko

Andrii Hnatov — lieutenant general, former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (February/March 2025 — July 2026), Hero of Ukraine

Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Andrii Lebedenko and special correspondent of TSN Yuliia Kiriyenko-Merinova

Oleksii Buriachenko, Candidate of Political Sciences, National University KAI

Entrepreneur Viktor Kurtev, founder of the Metropolia group of companies

Stanislav Malyar, Rector of the Institute of Ecology, Economics and Law (center)

serviceman, former deputy commander of the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Pavlo Yelizarov

Ihor Liski, Sonya Koshkina and Ihor Terekhov

Andrii Hnatov and Serhii Rakhmanin

On the left Hanna Maliar

Oleksandr Syrskyi and Ihor Liski

Ihor Liski, Anatolii Bargylevych, Oleksandr Syrskyi, Sonya Koshkina, Oleksandr Patsevich and Ihor Terekhov