On the back foot, the Red Army retreated to the Donets River.
AI Battle: No Retreat, No Surrender SOUTHWEST OF KHARKOV, UKRAINE, USSR March 7, 1943, The Soviets have suddenly found themselves on the defensive, with a reorganized German Army pushing back with renewed vigor and beginning to reclaim territory in the region around Kharkov. With much of the territory under their control, Soviet forces must swiftly search out the remaining pockets of German defenders and destroy them. With the support of the Luftwaffe, the Germans must attack the Soviet forces on the bank of the river and secure territory on the Donets before the Red Army can form a defensive line. The Soviets must hold the bank of the Donets River against invading German forces on the ground and Luftwaffe attacks from the air.