Ukrainian service members take part in a military exercise near the front lines, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine. file | Photo courtesy: Reuters
Progress has been slow but steady. Russian army is advancing at several points Ukrainian War Front For weeks now, I have been taking over territory from one village at a time. This has cast doubt on Kiev’s ability to stem the tide, let alone push back the advancing troops.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces have captured 478 square kilometers of territory since the beginning of October, according to an analysis of data by the US Institute for the Study of War – the largest monthly increase since the early weeks of their invasion in February 2022. There is regional benefit. ISW).
“Russia has been on the offensive for a whole year,” Russian opposition website Meduza said. It added, “Yet the past week has been one of the toughest, if not the toughest, for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”
Former French Army Colonel Michel Goya said the ISW data in no way points to Ukrainian military collapse, “but what is most worrying is that it is a pattern”. “We have seen this progress accelerate, with a feeling that it cannot be stopped,” he said, describing the “Russian strategy of pressure everywhere, of breaking (the defense) all the time, collapsing or collapsing.” While waiting.”
Almost every day, Moscow claims a new victory. Russian military analyst Alexander Khramchikhin said, “None of the locations in themselves have any great significance, but overall it represents a major success for the Russian military.” “Russia’s advance reflects the growing deterioration (of the situation) in Ukraine.”
Instead of capturing cities district by district, the Russian military has adopted a strategy of strangulation. Mr. Goya said, “The principle is to threaten to surround units which are then forced to retreat.”
Gradually, Russia’s advance has eroded Ukrainian morale. Kiev is struggling to recruit, while the army’s disorganization and corruption have made it easy for desertions and refusal to fight. “To defeat the enemy is to destroy their hope. There is no point in fighting when the sacrifice of those who died is in vain,” Mr Goya said.
“The [President Volodymyr] The Zelensky government, facing war-weariness of the civilian population, is struggling to organize,” said a French military leader.
Putin’s forces have captured 478 square kilometers of area since the beginning of October
published – October 31, 2024 11:23 am IST