ok what the fuck is happening in ukraine

getting a bit closer to the city might bring it within more reachable tube artillery range, making strikes both more effective and more cost-effective

As speculations go, that's quite plausible. Also, the pipeline of US military aid that just started back up recently hasn't had much time to backfill the shortages caused by the long wrangle in Congress.

Its not all that clear what Russia prefers to do with the population of Kharkiv. Getting closer to it would increase its ability to shell it with lower cost munitions which would presumably pressure inhabitants to start leaving again for safer locations.

But with Mariupol Russia seemed reluctant to let the population leave, though eventually they replaced some of the inhabitants via population transfer (I'm unclear on how large this transfer was but given the reported numbers I presume the majority of these were from Mariupol, maybe Melitopol)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=829nvzjbPPA

Perun's take on the current situation in Kharkiv, listened to on my run this morning, not really any clear answers., though one interesting angle is the idea that bringing Kharkiv within tube artillery range would lead to increased headlines in the West about Russian advances, with possible idea of persuading voters in Europe and the US that a Russian victory is inevitable and therefore its best to stop supplying Ukraine.

Difficult to know if that would have any real effect or not, apparently one poll in Europe from Feb of this year had "A Russian victory is most likely outcome" at 20% (he does cite his sources but I was listening not watching so I don' have source to hand)

If the war comes down to a long stalemate and its attendant attrition then Russia, by dint of its sheer size advantage, has a clear but very costly and bloody path to victory.