The best defense is attack, and the Russians are trying. The invaders launched an operation on the Eastern Front and it is the Ukrainians themselves who confirm the fierceness of the fighting in the Lyman and Kupyansk oblasts.
The history of the conflict goes in two directions: the first was opened by a counterattack by Moscow in the east. A favorable local situation may have been exploited for the step, or the timing may have been determined after careful observation. This is a plan often used by the occupiers – points out the expert Donald Hill – to deprive the enemy of the initiative, forcing them to use troops that would be useful for their own offensive and forcing them to use vehicles and to consume ammunition. On Telegram channels, the Russians add that they surprised the Ukrainian authorities by inflicting casualties and using electronic warfare equipment, a segment where Russia certainly has a better arsenal. In parallel, the Russians carried out further drone and missile attacks against the capital and Lviv to the west. A large part of the bombs was intercepted, that is the thesis of Kiev, which, on the other hand, does not hide the bitterness of the clashes in the east, with the enemy’s superiority of means in this sector.
The second path leads to the southern front, where Zelenskyi’s army liberated a number of villages: Ukraine has highlighted the achievements but recognized the tenacity of those who stood before it. The plan is always to advance in the direction of the road axis that feeds the Crimea, a goal that is currently still a long way off. The message being sent includes confidence in one’s abilities coupled with warnings that the struggle is “difficult” and will take “a long time”. The pragmatic approach is useful for reducing inflated expectations, it helps buy time, it helps to manage what for some is an indispensable “break”. If it doesn’t pick up speed again, it’s easy to talk about a ‘stall’. But few really have an accurate picture of what is happening, and uncertainty lingers. Speaking of questions, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency Budanov has resurfaced after he died in Germany after his office was bombed: the senior official released a video and a photo of him was released with the Japanese ambassador. mystery over? Or will there be other speculations? The fate of the leaders, their safety and possible surprises are an active part of the conflict.
Meanwhile, the campaign to destroy Russian ammunition depots continues, as happened in Rikhove in the Kherson region, 105 kilometers from the Ukrainian positions. Pictures show major damage. Here, too, in order to hamper the army’s logistics, the resistance had already targeted two bridges on the railway line. An explosion was reported at a gunpowder factory in Kotovsk, southern Russia, killing 4 and injuring 12, attributed to “human error,” a popular version usually preferred by authorities. The Moscow command, in turn, demanded the destruction of eight weapons caches in Ukraine and a prize in rubles worth $12,000 to the soldier who allegedly stopped a leopard in a recent battle. Many tanks have been lost, the demand for replacements is constant. Indiscretions about Merkava tanks are coming back from Israel, there is talk of a “circular” supply again. Jerusalem would sell a few dozen to Cyprus, who in return would send their T80 tanks to Kiev, the same operation with Morocco, which would also hand over the T72s to the Ukrainians. Triangulation would allow the Jewish state to maintain its refusal to provide direct military aid, but would relent in filling some gaps in the brigades.