The Ukrainian counter-offensive continues to gain momentum, with the Ukrainian General Staff reporting a “partial success” at Bakhmut and progress in the push south to the Sea of Azov. A senior US official believes there is a “realistic chance” that the remaining Russian defense lines could be breached by the end of the year.
Ukraine’s counter-offensive against the Russian occupiers has been going on for three months. After a long period of slow progress, it is now gaining momentum, said Trent Maul, director of analysis at US Military Intelligence, in an interview with The Economist.
Russian barricades underestimated
He acknowledged that the US and Ukraine had underestimated the depth of Russia’s defenses. Penetrating them with armored vehicles has therefore proven more difficult than expected, Maul said.
But there is now a “realistic chance” of breaching the remaining Russian defenses by the end of the year. The chance of this happening is 40 to 50 percent, the Secret Service agent explained. Crucial to success are sufficient ammunition for the artillery to ensure the advance, as well as favorable weather in the fall.
First rule broken
According to Ukrainian information, the first Russian defense line in Zaporizhia Oblast in southern Ukraine was recently breached. Ukrainian generals assume that the second and third lines will no longer be so strongly fortified.
However, these defenses also pose clear challenges for Ukraine and could remain strong in some sectors, the Institute for War Studies (ISW) said on Friday. At the same time, the American institute confirmed the tactical successes of the Ukrainian armed forces: in the east near Bakhmut, in the south near the settlements Robotyne and Werbowe. Also wrote a well-known Russian military blogger praise “Ukrainska Pravda” of an advance of the Ukrainian army.
Zelensky assigned units
In his video address on Thursday evening, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had thanked and rewarded military units in the east and south of the country for their actions against Russian forces. The counter-offensive began in June and focused in the east on the recapture of Bakhmut, which had been captured in May. In the south, Ukraine’s goal is to divide Russian forces between Crimea and Donetsk Oblast.
Source: Krone
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