Russia launches biggest offensive of war against Ukraine

This week Russia launched its biggest offensive against Ukraine since it invaded the eastern European country in February last year. However, the large attack operation, which was expected, did not significantly alter the front line of combat at any point.

But the offensive is just beginning and the Russians are mobilizing a huge contingent of men and materiel.

The focus at the moment of the offensive is around cities in the Donbass region, which have long been in the headlines of the war. Bakhmut, with about 70,000 inhabitants, was still in Ukrainian hands, but already surrounded on three sides by the Russians.

Moscow is employing huge numbers of newly mobilized and, according to Ukrainians, poorly trained soldiers.

The Russian defense ministry itself, Sergei Shoigu, is sending prisoners to war in exchange for eventual amnesty, if they are still alive.

So far, this is a scheme used only by the Wagner group of mercenaries, whose boss has greatly exaggerated his own contribution to the small Russian advances.
Casualties were considerable, but their employment is matched in some places by higher-level professional troops, mainly airborne.

There was also an increase in the rate of fire from Russian artillery, a traditional weapon in Moscow’s military doctrine.

Ukrainians and Western sources expect a much broader deployment of the Russian air force this time around.

There are reports that the Russians are massing large numbers of fighter jets and attack helicopters in areas very close to the Donbass.

The Russians will have to be able to suppress the anti-aircraft defenses of Ukraine, which has so far successfully employed the tactic of denying the enemy airspace, especially at low altitude.

It is Russian aviation expected to be able to neutralize Western artillery systems that gave the Ukrainians a major advantage in destroying the invaders’ logistics last year.

(*Posted by Douglas Porto)