KHARKIV OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS OF 1942 AND 2022: STRATEGIC PARALLELS THROUGH THE LENS OF MILITARY HISTORY

Iryna Avtushenko,

Dr. habil. (History), Professor,

National Transport University, Kyiv, Ukraine

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2025.32.3

 

The operations in the Kharkiv region in 1942 and 2022, specifically examining their strategic objectives, planning, technical support, factors contributing to success or failure, and the balance of forces. The methodology of the scientific research is based on an interdisciplinary approach and the principles of scientific validity, historical analysis, systematicity, and objectivity. The article examines and analyses two large-scale offensive operations that took place in the Kharkiv region – the Soviet offensive of May 1942 and the Ukrainian counteroffensive of September 2022 – using both general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, as well as several specialized methods, including the historical, historical-comparative, and statistical approaches.

The scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian military-historical scholarship, a comparative analysis has been conducted of two Kharkiv offensive operations that took place eighty years apart on the same strategic sector of the Eastern Front. An interdisciplinary approach is proposed, combining the tools of military history, strategic analysis, operational art, and information warfare to examine the course and outcomes of both campaigns. The continuity of strategic and tactical mistakes is substantiated, particularly in terms of underestimating the enemy, command and control issues, and the misjudgment of the operational situation, both in 1942 and in 2022.

Conclusions. A comparative analysis of the two Kharkiv offensive operations demonstrates the transformation of military strategy in the 21st century – from «mass» to «quality and maneuver». Cooperation with the population, international support, and high-precision weapons are becoming decisive factors in modern warfare.. Both campaigns were decisive for the course of their respective military conflicts – World War II and the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war.

Keywords: Kharkiv offensive operation in May 1942, force groupings, Kharkiv offensive operation in 2022, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Soviet troops, command.

Submitted 05.09.2025

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