ISW suggests that Ukraine’s Armed Forces are successfully creating conditions for main counteroffensive strike

The Institute for the Study of War reports

The Ukrainian authorities have long indicated that the counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces will involve a series of gradual and sequential offensive actions. Recently, they expressed observations that the current operations are not the main direction of Ukraine's counteroffensive planning.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister, Hanna Maliar, emphasized that measuring the success of military operations "solely by kilometers or the number of liberated settlements" is not appropriate.

ISW experts note that the current actions of the Ukrainian forces may have different objectives. The Ukrainian Armed Forces may conduct several offensive operations across the entire front to gradually weaken russian troops and create conditions for the future main strike. Analysts highlight that losses are inevitable on both sides, but the careful operational planning by the Ukrainian command is likely aimed at mitigating and balancing the conditions of the counteroffensive.

The Institute emphasizes that the overall slower-than-expected pace of Ukrainian counteroffensive operations is not indicative of Ukraine's offensive potential, and Ukrainian forces are likely successfully creating the conditions for future major efforts.

• On June 21, describing the situation on the front lines, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that "We have movement forward in the South, and in the East, we are holding the defense." 

• Ukraine’s Security Service Colonel, Roman Kostenko, stated that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are losing less equipment in the offensive than the defending enemy