In 2024, Russia will probably not stop its offensive on the front in Ukraine. However, everything that is happening suggests that in 2025, the Russians will not be able to advance at the same pace and hold the captured territories. This is the confidence expressed by military-political observer Oleksandr Kovalenko.
“Everything indicates that, having a rather modest set of targets, there is no regional center on their list. The Russian occupation forces do not have the opportunity to confidently implement their plans, despite the fact that they have a total numerical advantage in the combat zone — more than 550 thousand people. This indicates a clear depletion of their strike and offensive capabilities,” the expert noted.
According to Kovalenko, after Vugledar, the Russians will try to move towards Bogoyavlenka and Novoukrainka. However, as he notes, this is “a stage of very long-term battles in the fields.”.
“Russian troops are striving for a quick victory, but for this they need to form a southern flank for an attack on Pokrovsk. Today, even the left-bank pocket along the Vovcha River is not closed. Selidove, which has become a bone in the throat for the Russians in the Pokrovsk direction, will be no less exhausting for them than the battles for Vugledar,” Kovalenko is sure.
The expert also believes that the fighting in Toretsk is taking place in much more difficult conditions for the occupiers. The most painful topic for them remains Chasiv Yar, and in Vovchansk the Russians not only failed to expand their "success", but also lost control over the Aggregate Plant.
As a reminder, it was previously reported that Russia plans to recruit at least 225,000 people under contract with the Ministry of Defense in the next three years. It was noted that last year alone, 345,000 people signed contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry, and from the beginning of 2023 to mid-2024, the number of new contract workers reached 511,000.
