Russia Has Begun Summer Offensive in Ukraine, Military Analyst Says

Russia has already started its summer offensive campaign in Ukraine. The fighting on all sections of the frontline is of a positional nature. And the battlefield is fully controlled by drones on both sides, said military observer Denys Popovych.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to the broadcast of the FREEDOM TV channel.

"Today, there is no question of a strategic advantage either on the part of the Russian Federation or, unfortunately, on the part of Ukraine. The fighting in all areas of the frontline is mostly of a positional nature. When we talk about the Russian Federation's advances, we need to understand that they are minimal. There is no strategic or even operational and tactical breakthrough. There are tactical advances in a number of areas, by 100-200 metres and so on," the speaker said.

According to him, the Russian army is unable to concentrate its forces for a major breakthrough.

"The battlefield on both sides is fully controlled by drones. Ukraine is doing it, and the Russian army is doing it. So, in order to break through the front, you need to concentrate troops in the direction of the main attack. This is impossible to do because the drones calculate everything, burn it out, the artillery is involved, and that's where it ends. Therefore, there may be such tactical advances on the part of the Ukrainian side and the Russian Federation. But unfortunately, if we are talking about Ukrainian positions, they cannot decide the outcome of the war," the military observer noted.

Meanwhile, Ukraine is writing new pages in terms of the use of various drones.

"MAGURA, which can shoot down air targets. A naval drone with anti-aircraft weapons that can shoot down air targets. This is a novelty that has never been seen before. The unmanned maritime drone itself is also an innovation that belongs to us. And the use of these systems has dramatically changed the situation in the Black Sea. As you can see, the large ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet are completely inoperable today. They can launch missiles, but no more. The use of large drones, FPV drones, small drones, quadcopters is also largely a Ukrainian invention that is widely used at the front. Especially when there was a shortage of artillery shells last year, when there was an attack on Avdiivka. They helped the situation to a large extent by replacing the artillery that was lacking," said Popovych.

He also explained that the Toretsk sector is the most active area on the frontline.

"The enemy is trying to advance towards Kostyantynivka. It is obvious that soon we can state the beginning of fighting on the outskirts of this city. The enemy needs Kostyantynivka to continue advancing towards the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration. This last major agglomeration in Donetsk Oblast is under Ukrainian control. Obviously, in the future, Kostiantynivka may become the scene of summer fighting. The fact that Russia has launched an offensive operation is just calling a spade a spade. They indicated their intentions much earlier," the guest reminded.

In addition, the military observer believes that so far the Russians have no problems with human resources. For the most part, Russians are lured to the front with money. But these resources are only enough to cover the losses.

"Recruitment is ongoing, i.e. attracting people through financial payments. And this is not endless. But in order to dramatically increase the size of the armed forces, we need to mobilise. At least a partial mobilisation, like the one they conducted in the autumn of 2022. Without mobilisation, the Russians can only compensate for their losses. That is, they recruit a certain number of people, according to various estimates, from 30 to 40 thousand per month, and their losses per month are the same. They only compensate for losses at zero," Popovych explained.

He also reminded that Russia is also involving citizens of other countries in hostilities against Ukraine.

"Previously, there were Cuba, Nepal, and Chinese citizens. The DPRK's military personnel take part in hostilities under slightly different conditions. That is, let's say, the DPRK's military support for Russia. However, they attract mercenaries from other countries under different ‘sauces’, promising them jobs in the hotel and tourism business. In particular, there have been cases of Nepalese citizens. And when these people get to the Russian Federation, they see a slightly different story. These people, if they survive the first battle, then try to surrender or simply run away. Because they absolutely do not expect such treatment. But, nevertheless, this is the way of manning the troops in the Russian Federation," the speaker emphasised.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Russia is concentrating forces on the front line for a possible new offensive to seize more Ukrainian territory, according to two US officials with knowledge of the latest US assessments.