Logo: to the web site of the Swedish Defence University

The war in Ukraine is the biggest war in Europe since World War II, and it has significant implications for Europe’s security. Among the many events of the war, Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region is considered to be the most successful large-scale offensive operations in modern warfare. While the previous research has emphasized factors such as, western support, deception, and attrition strategies, less attention has been given to analyse how the armed forces of Ukraine operated on an operational level to achieve success. 

The research question the study aims to answer is: “How can lines of operations and concentration of forces contribute to the explanation of Ukraine´s counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region” To conduct this study, the counteroffensive will be analysed through Antoine Jomini´s theory and principals of lines of operations and concentration of forces. 

The findings show that Ukraine´s effective utilization of lines of operations and concentration of forces proved decisive in their counteroffensive. Through lines of operations and concentration of forces Ukraine managed to take control Kupyansk and Izium within a couple of days. Ukraine used the roads as interior lines to be able to concentrate forces quickly and converging lines to simultaneously attack the Russian forces from various directions. 

Overall, the study demonstrates that while factors such as deception and attrition were important, lines of operations and concentration of forces were decisive and can contribute to the explanation of Ukraine´s counteroffensive.