Three months have passed since Russian troops launched large-scale offensive operations in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. However, apart from the death of thousands of their own soldiers and the loss of more than 400 units of armored vehicles, they have actually achieved nothing so far.
The latest data from the front shows that Russia is as far from its strategic goals of capturing Kupyansk and Avdiyivka as it was at the beginning of its offensive in October 2023, writes the German publication Bild.
“To the north of Avdiivka, the occupiers got stuck on the railway branch to the east of the village of Stepove. There, they are destroyed daily by kamikaze drones and M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. For several months, the Russians did not come even one kilometer closer to their goal of encircling and capturing Avdiivka. And this is despite the fact that Russia has sacrificed hundreds of tanks and thousands of soldiers in frontal attacks on Ukrainian positions and their minefields,” the analysts point out.
The publication notes that the invaders were also stuck on the outskirts of the village of Synkivka, north of Kupyansk. Here, the Kremlin forces its tank companies to enter the same minefield, losing up to 100% of equipment, and then many soldiers, as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks on survivors.
“For its part, Ukraine competently and situationally adapted to the defense against Russian attacks, without having the opportunity for its own advancement. The ZSU manages to thwart almost all Russian offensives for months and exact a huge blood and material tribute from the Russian Federation for its futile offensive efforts. It remains an open question how long Ukraine will be able to maintain such a fierce defense and how long there will be enough ammunition for the systems in use,” the article says.
The journalists added that, for now, Russian massive attacks are likely to be interrupted for a certain time and the Russian Federation needs to gather reserves to go on the offensive again.
