Finally, the Russian elite VDV airborne regiments fighting around the ruined town of Bakhmut are nominally stationed in Western Russia on standby as a rapid reaction force in the event of tensions with NATO. In addition, the 5th Combined Arms Army, which includes elite naval infantry units, that is entrenched around Velyka Novosilka in the Donetsk Oblast, is normally stationed in Russia’s eastern borders more than 4,300 miles away as a counter to Chinese power in the region. The Russian Ministry of Defense has relocated units from across the country to the frontlines in Ukraine, weakening Russia’s borders.įor example, the 58th Combined Arms Army defending the Zaporizhzhia Oblast is normally tasked with protecting Russia’s Caucasus region. Although Kyiv’s forces have made progress in several sectors, they haven’t achieved advances comparable to those of the past fall when they liberated hundreds of square miles of territory in the east and south in just a few days.īut to be as effective as it has been so far, the Russian military has resorted to cannibalizing its national security posture to feed the defense against the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Using extensive defensive lines with mutually supported fortifications, anti-tank ditches, trenches, and miles upon miles of minefields, the Russian forces have been stalling the Ukrainian attacks. Losses are forcing the Russian military to draw units from across Russia, weakening the Kremlin’s overall national security posture.įor 32 days, the Ukrainians have been attacking and probing the extensive Russian defensive lines in search of weak spots that would pave the way for a much-needed operational breakthrough.
Russian units in the frontlines have lost approximately 20,000 men over the past four weeks and hundreds of weapon systems. The Russian military is stalling the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Donbas and southern Ukraine but at a terrible cost in casualties.
0 kommentar(er)
