By John Owen Nwachukwu The US officials have said that Russian forces have learnt their lessons from mistakes they made during the e...
By John Owen Nwachukwu
The US officials have said that Russian forces have learnt
their lessons from mistakes they made during the earlier stages of their
invasion of Ukraine.
The officials noted that Russia has improved in the areas of
better coordinating air and ground attacks, logistics and supply lines.
Two US officials with direct knowledge of US intelligence
assessments told CNN.
They said that US does not expect new weapons systems
recently supplied to Ukrainian forces, including the HIMARS multiple rocket
launch system, to immediately change the situation on the battlefield in part
because those systems are so far being sent with both a limited range and a
limited number of rockets to ensure they are not fired into Russian territory
Additionally, Russian forces have been able to destroy some
of the new Western-supplied weapons, including M777 howitzers, in targeted
attacks.
The US assessments, which increasingly envision a long and
punishing battle in eastern Ukraine, come as the months-long war there has
reached a pivotal moment in recent days.
Ukraine’s military has been burning through Soviet-era
ammunition that fits older systems, and Western governments are facing a tough
decision on whether they want to continue increasing their assistance to the
country.
The US assessments paint a dismal image of the future of the
war, with high personnel and equipment losses on both sides. US officials
believe that Russian forces plan to maintain intense attacks in the east,
characterized by heavy artillery and missile strikes, with the intention of
wearing down Ukrainian forces and NATO resolve over time.
Russia’s advancements were brought into plain view in recent
days after Ukraine’s defense of Lysychansk – the last city in the Luhansk region
it still holds – became a lot more tenuous.
In the last couple of days, Russians have advanced into
several villages south of Lysychansk, though not without sustaining losses from
Ukrainian artillery fire.
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