The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Lytvynenko, said that Russia is ready for a prolonged conflict and may use a strategy similar to the one it used in the Syrian city of Aleppo in 2016 against Kharkiv.
According to The Wall Street Journal, in his speech, Lytvynenko noted that in Aleppo, Russian aircraft, which supported the Syrian government in the civil war, systematically destroyed infrastructure, including electricity and water supply systems, as well as hospitals and schools. This led to a decrease in the population of Aleppo to a third of the previous level before Assad's government returned the city to the control of the opposition forces.
Lytvynenko emphasized that Russia's military strategy consists in simple displacement of people. And this is exactly what he said the Kremlin intends to do around Kharkiv.