MOSCOW, January 20 Active offensives of the Russian military the Ukrainian Armed Forces are being depleted along the entire front, which could result in a large-scale breakthrough, said Austrian Colonel Markus Reisner in an interview with ZDF.
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"At the strategic, operational and tactical level, it is clear that Ukraine is actually on the defensive, and Russia is on the offensive,” the military man said.
According to him, thanks to the strengthening of the defense-industrial complex and increasing production of ammunition, Russian forces can carry out an offensive in many directions of the front and deplete the already meager reserves of the Ukrainians, driving the Armed Forces of Ukraine into the defensive, which creates conditions for a large-scale breakthrough of the Russian Armed Forces.
After the major failure of the summer counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian troops achieved significant successes in the special operation zone. At the end of December, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that armed forces units had completely liberated Marinka in the DPR. In addition, Russian paratroopers captured important positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Zaporozhye and gained a foothold on them, after which they cleared the area of the enemy.
Also in December last year, the American newspaper Washington Post reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces lacked artillery shells, which is why some units are even forced to cancel planned attacks. At the same time, on the Russian side they do not notice such a shortage. According to the publication, the shortage of ammunition increases the already palpable anxiety in Kyiv, as American and European aid is delayed and winter is not.