At the end of February 2022, the Russian armed forces launched a special military operation into Ukraine after receiving Kremlin approval. So far, this large-scale armed conflict has been going on for 10 months, and there are still no signs of the situation easing. As for the initiative on the battlefield, it has also changed hands many times between the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
Ukrainian battlefield
On December 8, according to the Russian Satellite News Agency, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced a series of good news, and the results were mainly concentrated in the Zaporozhye Oblast, where the conflict is currently the most intense. The Russian army claimed that its long-range rocket launchers struck 86 Ukrainian army units at firepower points and destroyed 183 Ukrainian army logistics hubs.
In the redman direction, the Russian army annihilated more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers and destroyed 3 tanks and 6 pickup trucks within 24 hours. Due to the heavy losses of the Ukrainian army, even the "January Guards" Ukraine's 1st Presidential Brigade was sent to the front line of the battlefield.
The Russian army is trying to regain the initiative
It must be said that the situation on the Ukrainian battlefield has undergone many strategic turns since the outbreak of the war. In the early days of the war, the Russian army marched in, and its armored forces once made a surprise attack hundreds of kilometers away, shaking the Ukrainian regime in Kiev. However, the Russian army's ultra-long-range raid ended in an anticlimactic end due to insufficient logistics;
Russian Tank Force
After September, the Ukrainian army, which had regained a series of advanced weapons from the West, gradually took the initiative on the battlefield. It launched counterattacks in Kherson, Kharkov and other directions, regaining tens of thousands of square kilometers of territory in one fell swoop, forcing Russia to enter a state of partial mobilization.
At this time, the morale of the Russian army had seriously declined, Putin had to promulgate a series of strict wartime policies to try to maintain the combat effectiveness of the Russian army, and the balance of victory seemed to tilt towards Ukraine;
However, after fully entering winter, the strength of the Ukrainian army's counterattack had been exhausted - This shows that the Ukrainian army's previous large-scale multi-directional counterattack is probably not as easy as NATO stated.
After the Russian army was partially supplemented by the mobilization of 300,000 troops, its morale and military strength have rebounded. Therefore, the situation we are currently seeing is that the Russian and Ukrainian armies have returned to a state of anxiety, and the Russian army is trying to regain the initiative.
Russian Army Soldiers
According to Russia's "Moscow Times" report, the most fiercely contested strategic location between the Russian and Ukrainian armies is Bakhmut. It can almost be called the "meat grinder" of the Ukrainian battlefield.
The Russian army relied on the powerful firepower of the Iranian drone and "Tornado" long-range rocket launcher to destroy 6 American/German rocket launch systems in one day on December 8, including the "Haimas" rocket launcher , a weapon that had previously caused headaches for the Russian army. The results were quite fruitful.
The Russian military spokesman even stated that the Russian army has annihilated the Ukrainian troops at 6 predetermined target point , which has dealt an unprecedented and painful blow to Ukraine's frontline forces. At present, the Russian army is in an active offensive posture no matter in the direction of Bonliman, South Donetsk or Kupyansk in Kharkiv Region.
Russian long-range rocket launcher
The Ukrainian army faces severe challenges
From the series of results expressed by the Russian army, we can see that the Ukrainian army is facing quite severe challenges, and its effective strength is being rapidly consumed by the gradually upgraded firepower of the Russian army.
The American " New York Times " proved this fact. Its war correspondent said that in order to ensure that the Ukrainian army's defense line on the front line is not defeated by the Russian army, Ukraine's most elite 1st Presidential Brigade has officially entered the Donetsk front.
Ukrainian army soldiers
This elite unit was originally stationed in Kiev for a long time and was responsible for protecting the security of Ukrainian President Zelenskiy . However, under the tight war situation, Ukraine's "January Guards" could only accept orders to be transferred to the front line.
This news reflects from the side that the current combat pressure faced by the Ukrainian armed forces can be described as extremely huge. The large-scale mobilization of the Russian army in October is not just talk on paper.
Soldiers of the Ukrainian Army
On the same day on December 8, Milburn, a retired senior military officer of the U.S. Army, announced a shocking inside information, proving that Ukraine is currently in danger of losing the initiative on the battlefield again.
He said on social media: NATO's intelligence and reconnaissance forces are currently paying close attention to the military dynamics in the Bahmut area. They have noticed that the balance of victory in the war here is tilting towards the Russian army..
Under the high-density firepower of the Russian army, the overall casualty rate of Ukrainian frontline troops has exceeded 15%, and the casualty rate of some troops has even reached an astonishing 70%, almost being consumed by the establishment.
The cruel Ukrainian battlefield
Russian President Vladimir Putin has obviously restored the confidence similar to the beginning of the war under the influence of a series of good news. On the day when the Russian Ministry of Defense announced a series of results, he told reporters with a relaxed face when attending the Eurasian Economic Union summit:
"Russian special military operations are currently progressing as normal, and there are no problems."
"When this battle is over, everyone will accept the relevant facts about Russian-Ukrainian territory."
With the Russian military about to regain the initiative , Putin will obviously never give up on the four Ukrainian states that voted for Russia.
Russian President Putin
The future trend of the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield
So, where will the overall trend of the Ukrainian battlefield go in the future? Did the Russian army successfully regain the initiative, or did Ukraine once again launch a beautiful counterattack? The decisive factor in all this may depend on the logistics performance of Russia and Ukraine in the winter.
Ukrainian Soldiers
The winter on the Ukrainian battlefield is long and cold, which is a severe challenge for the Russian and Ukrainian armed forces. But it has to be admitted that Russia’s comprehensive national strength surpasses Ukraine in all aspects, and it has rich winter supply experience.
Therefore, if NATO countries cannot assist the Ukrainian army with greater intensity, then the Ukrainian army will not be able to shake the Russian military deployment. Putin's statement that "there is no possibility of concession" is highly likely not an empty talk .
Russian tanks are firing
However, after the four eastern states of Ukraine surrendered to Russia, Russia is also showing its intention to negotiate a ceasefire to the Ukrainian regime in Kiev. Kremlin spokesman Peskov recently stated that Russia has no intention to continue to expand the scale of the war or continue to seize territory from Ukraine.
If the Kiev authorities accept the current territorial facts, then Russia agrees to stop this special military operation.
can see that the button to decide "war or peace" has been handed over to the Ukrainian regime in Kiev. In the case of unfavorable combat situations, Ukraine's choice will be a topic of great interest. We will continue to pay attention to the reaction of the Ukrainian authorities.
