Russian troops have been advancing relentlessly in eastern Ukraine for months. But they are paying a high price for it, which could soon have an impact.
US military experts expect the ground offensive by Russian troops in eastern Ukraine to soon weaken. “The current summer offensive is expected to reach its climax in the coming weeks or months,” wrote the Institute for War Studies (ISW) in its latest report. After that, the pace of Russian attacks will slow down.
The reason given by the observers was that the troops planned by the Russian army leadership for the offensive had been decimated; Reserves have been exhausted. The army must divide its forces between the attacks in Donbass, the stalled offensive in the Kharkiv region and the defense of Ukrainian troops in the Russian Kursk region. “Russian forces do not have the personnel and materiel to sustain intensive offensive efforts,” the report said.
Rapid Russian gains in territory
The Russian advance has actually been underway since October 2023, when the Ukrainian summer offensive in the south got stuck. Recently, the Russians have been gaining ground more and more quickly. Ukraine had to abandon the long-defended outpost of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region. Nevertheless, the ISW experts classify these as limited tactical successes for Russia. A strategically important breakthrough at the front has not yet been achieved. However, the Ukrainian defenders are also exhausted.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported 142 attempted Russian attacks on Thursday, including 30 in the direction of the long-contested city of Pokrovsk.
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Source: Stern
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