In a Telegram post on March 26, he said that for 761 days of the war, Russian troops have failed to capture and hold any major Ukrainian city, including Kharkiv.
"Neither in 2022 nor in 2023 could they defeat the indomitable people of Kharkiv, nor maintain positions in the population centers of the region," said Syniehubov.
The governor added that the conduct of Russian forces resembles medieval barbarian tactics.
“What they can't take on the battlefield—they bombard with missiles, warplanes, and artillery,” he said.
“Thus, the occupiers’ insane fantasies are accompanied by daily shelling of civilian population. But the destruction of peaceful people's homes is the only thing the occupiers can do out of powerlessness on the battlefield.”
Earlier on March 26, independent Russian outlet Meduza published an article about Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s supposed plans to capture Kharkiv.
According to the report, a source close to the Kremlin believes that Putin aims to capture Kharkiv and then conclude the so-called "Special Military Operation."
"It [would be] also a symbolic victory: a city with a million population, where many Russian-speaking people live," said one of Meduza’s sources.
While the report suggested that there has been no decision made on a large-scale offensive towards Kharkiv, it remains "quite a plausible scenario."