The winter offensive of the Russian army in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions has been recognized as a failure, according to Julian Röpke, a military columnist for Bild. In his new article, titled "Thousands of Soldiers Dead, Putin's Winter Offensive Failed," he emphasizes that, aside from the tragic losses in their own ranks and the loss of more than 400 armored vehicles, Russian forces have not achieved significant results.
Bild, which in the fall of 2021 correctly predicted Russia's future invasion of Ukraine, and often provides an analysis of the events of the war, this time states a significant failure of Russian forces. However, at the same time, the newspaper warns that it is difficult to predict how long the Armed Forces will be able to withstand the pressure of the Russian army in conditions of limited resources.
According to the conclusion of Julian Röpke, who refers to the latest video recordings from the combat theater, Russia "actually remains as far from its strategic goals - the capture of the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region and Avdiivka in the Donetsk region - as at the stage of the beginning of these winter operations in October last year".
According to the journalist, to the north of Avdiivka, the Russian military encountered difficulties in crossing the railway line near the village of Stepove. "Every day they are struck by Ukrainian kamikaze drones and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles," Röpke notes.
Despite the thousands of dead soldiers and hundreds of lost armored vehicles, the Russian forces have not made any significant progress forward and failed to implement their task of encircling and capturing Avdiivka, he adds.
In the northern part of Kupyansk, Russian troops encountered resistance near the small village of Synkivka. "Here, several tank units of the Kremlin take turns entering the same minefield, losing up to 100% of their equipment, and then numerous soldiers who become the object of Ukrainian drone attacks," the article states.
Ukraine is successfully preparing for a possible attack by Russia, demonstrating prudence and adaptation to a difficult situation, the journalist reports.
In a confrontation with Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers, Ukrainian security forces use mines, artillery and rocket-propelled grenades, launching them from drones. In interaction with infantry, they use cluster munitions and grenades, which are also delivered from drones.
This comprehensive strategy allowed the Ukrainian army to effectively deter almost all Russian offensive attempts and inflict significant losses on the enemy's human, material, and technical resources for several months.
According to Röpke, mass attacks by Russian troops have stopped for now. While during October, November and December, thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles took part in offensives, during the last week only limited clashes were observed on the battlefield, recorded by a journalist.
"Probably, Russia needs time to mobilize reserves before resuming offensive operations," he adds.
At the same time, the author of Bild emphasizes: "It remains uncertain how long Ukraine will be able to maintain such intense defensive resistance and how long ammunition will last."
It is also emphasized that the USA recently expressed its intention to significantly reduce the level of its support for Ukraine in the future.
