It is less than a week since Russian soldiers took control of the strategically important town of Vuhledar on the front line in eastern Ukraine. Recently, the Russian forces have also taken a number of small towns. And now Ukrainian military authorities report that the Russians have reached the outskirts of the city of Toretsk. IN FIGHT: The Russian Ministry of Defense has published a photo of Russian soldiers. It is not said where it is. Photo: AP – The situation is unstable, there are battles at every entrance to the city, says Anastasiia Bobovnikova, who is a spokesperson for a military force. She made the statement to Ukraine’s national broadcaster. Both Vuhledar and Toretsk have been important for supplies to the Ukrainian forces. Now the Ukrainians must build new supply lines. – Tærer at Tormod Heier is a professor at the Norwegian Defense College. He tells news that the withdrawal that the Ukrainian forces are carrying out indicates that they are being subjected to great wear and tear. AGAINST SUPERIOR POWER: Ukrainian forces fire at Russian positions in eastern Ukraine earlier this year. Photo: AP – The Russian attacks are probably now starting to eat away at Ukraine’s forces. But according to the expert, the Russians have not taken particularly large areas of land recently. Nevertheless, it is demotivating for the Ukrainians to see that the Russians are gradually tightening their grip on the Donbass region. – Yes, it affects the fighting morale of the forces that have to retreat and cannot be on the offensive, emphasizes Heier. New tactics? According to some Western sources, the Russians may be losing more than 1,000 soldiers per day in the current fighting. WITHDRAWAL: Professor Tormod Heier at the Norwegian Defense College says that the Ukrainians are now using a new tactic in the war against the Russians. Photo: Frode Fjerdingstad / news The Russian forces will no longer have large quantities of armored vehicles to use in warfare. But so far, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of soldiers. In previous battles in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainians have also entered with large numbers of soldiers. It seems that they have stopped doing that, because they also had big losses. – The Ukrainians retreat earlier to limit their losses of soldiers, the professor points out. He also believes that it is possible that the Ukrainians will inflict the greatest possible losses on the Russian forces now in terms of soldiers and weapons. Heier says that, according to some experts, it is possible that the Ukrainians will try to carry out a counterattack at a later date. – But that will require Ukraine to have new and fresh forces in the rear, and we don’t know if they have that, says Heier. Attacking Deeper Inside Russia Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ordered his military commanders to do “everything possible” to prevent the Russians from taking control of more territory. This is reported by the Reuters news agency. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gives the military orders to prevent the Russians’ progress. Photo: Reuters But what will it be possible for the Ukrainians to do? – The Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region in Russia in the hope that the Russians would transfer forces there from eastern Ukraine. It didn’t work out particularly well, says Heier. He also points out that the Ukrainians have started attacking targets deeper inside Russia, and that this has had some effect. The Russian authorities do not want to initiate a new and unpopular mobilization of soldiers. But the fact that the salaries of those who enlist have increased sharply shows that the Russians are also short of soldiers. – Some experts believe that the Russians will also feel the wear and tear within a few months and that the pressure on the Ukrainians will then decrease, points out the Norwegian professor. Published 08.10.2024, at 19.14
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Russian forces are making progress in eastern Ukraine – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
