After a day stuffed with principally rumor and confusion, we lastly know a bit extra about how the latest of Russia’s main offensives is unfolding. It is a serious assault; it’s not the form of extremely coordinated and overwhelming marketing campaign that Russia nonetheless insists it might pull off however which exterior consultants now imagine is past the nation’s command competence. However it’s a main risk, and Russia has been capable of take some new floor already.
However, Ukraine has additionally been capable of rout Russians elsewhere, as they’ve been doing the complete conflict. Russia stays overextended, reliant on lengthy provide traces and battalions already battered in earlier combating. It is just too early to say how this newest offensive will play out.
Russian assaults look like targeting areas with Ukrainian defenses which have had years to organize, with the almost definitely aim being the encirclement of a number of japanese cities southeast of captured Izyum in order that they will then be obliterated by Russian artillery strikes. Earlier hypothesis that Russia would try an absurd operation to encircle the complete japanese entrance are, up to now, not coming to cross. Whereas it appears curious for Russia to have interaction in battles within the locations the place Ukraine’s defenses are the strongest—particularly contemplating Russia’s poor outcomes when encountering precise Ukrainian troops, moderately than simply bombing civilian neighborhoods from afar—the Pentagon suspects attacking from these long-static positions are Russia’s approach of avoiding the logistical challenges which have plagued its extra far-ranging advances.
Here is your information abstract for the day:
