Russian forces have conducted only a limited campaign of drone and missile strikes in Ukraine in recent days, suggesting they continue to struggle with a shortage of precision missiles.
During the autumn 2022 offensive, the Russian military conducted more intense and long-range attacks, which could mean that the Russian armed forces may be rationing the use of precision ammunition for these attacks or simply do not have the necessary amount of ammunition. to sustain the attack. attacks at your previous pace and continue at your previous intensity.
According to the US-based Institute for the Study of War: The pace of Russian operations around Bakhmut – a key target for Moscow, which sees the city as a stepping stone to the total conquest of the eastern Donbass region – appears to be slowing down, while western reports say Russian forces may be looking to launch offensives in other directions.
Forced containment?
British military intelligence believes that Russia’s attack on the city could lose steam. According to the British Ministry of Defense, Russian forces in the Bakhmut region may be losing strength because the Russian Ministry of Defense is moving units in other directions.
Russian forces are currently increasing the pace of their offensive operations around Avdiivka with the aim of encircling the city from the north and south, and it is possible that Russian forces will do so at the expense of their operations around Bakhmut and the stalled Vuhledar offensive.
The Institute for the Study of War says: Russian forces may decide to initiate or intensify offensive operations in new directions, but these operations would likely yield little tangible results as Russia’s general spring offensive continues to peak.