Ukrainian soldiers attend a military exercise near a front line amid the Russian attack on Ukraine. File | Photo credit: Reuters
Progress is slow but relentless. The Russian army is advancing at several points along the border Ukrainian war front have been swallowing up areas village by village for weeks now. It has cast doubt on Kiev’s ability to turn the tide, let alone push back advancing forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army has captured 478 square kilometers of territory since early October – the largest monthly territorial gain since the first weeks of his invasion in February 2022, according to an analysis of data from the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW). ).
“Russia has been on the offensive for a whole year,” says Meduza, a Russian opposition website. “Yet the past week was one of the toughest – if not the toughest – for the Ukrainian Armed Forces during that time,” it added.
The ISW data in no way points to the collapse of the Ukrainian army, “but what is most worrying is that it is a pattern,” said former French army colonel Michel Goya. “We have seen an acceleration in this progress, with the feeling that it cannot be stopped,” he added, describing a “Russian strategy of pressing everywhere, constantly waiting for (the defenses) to crack, crumble or collapse. ”
Almost every day, Moscow claims a new victory. “None of the sites is of great importance on its own, but together it represents a major success for the Russian military,” said Alexander Khramchikhin, a Russian military analyst. “The Russian advance shows the increasing deterioration (of the situation) in Ukraine.”
Instead of conquering cities district by district, the Russian army has opted for a suffocation tactic. “The principle is to threaten to encircle the groups who are then forced to withdraw,” Mr Goya said.
Gradually, the Russian advance has eaten away at Ukrainian morale. Kiev is struggling with recruitment, while the army’s disorganization and corruption are fueling desertions and refusals to fight. “Defeating an enemy kills their hope. If the sacrifice of those who die is in vain, there is no point in continuing to fight,” said Mr Goya.
“The (President Volodymyr) Zelensky government, faced with the war-weariness of the civilian population, is struggling to mobilize,” said a French military leader.
Putin’s army has captured 478 square kilometers of territory since early October
Published – Oct 31, 2024 11:23 AM IST