In 2024, Russia will probably not stop its offensive on the front in Ukraine. However, everything that is happening hints that in 2025 the Russians will not be able to advance at the same pace and hold the captured territories. Military and political commentator Oleksandr Kovalenko expressed such confidence.
"Everything indicates that, having a fairly modest set of goals, there is not a single regional center on their list. The Russian occupying 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 exhaustion of their shock and offensive capabilities," the expert noted.
According to Kovalenko, after Vugledar, the Russians will try to move to Bogoyavlenka and Novoukrayinka. However, as he notes, this is "a stage of very long-term battles in the fields."
"Russian troops want a quick victory, but for this they need to form the southern flank for the offensive on Pokrovsk. Today, even the left-bank pocket along the Vovcha River is not closed. "Selydove, which became a bone in the throat for the Russians in the Pokrovsky direction, will be no less exhausting for them than the battles for Vugledar," Kovalenko is confident.
The expert also believes that the battles in Toretsk are 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.
It will be recalled that it was previously reported that Russia plans to recruit at least 225,000 people on a contract with the Ministry of Defense in the next three years. It was noted that only last year, 345 thousand people signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, and from the beginning of 2023 to the middle of 2024, the number of new contract holders reached 511 thousand people.
