Russia will try to halt hostilities: military expert explains why

He shared this on Espreso TV.

"Right now, de-escalation doesn't benefit us. When the Russians attack, they lose more than when they're on the defensive. A defensive war strategy works in our favor because it exhausts them. The Russians are going all-in with the resources they have left in 2024," Kovalenko explained.

He mentioned that Russian forces are in a difficult situation.

"People talk about their infinite resources, but these resources have limits. While their human resources might not run out, their equipment is dwindling. Soviet tank and AFVs stockpiles are empty. The year 2024 is critical for them in terms of compensating monthly losses," Kovalenko said.

He emphasized that in 2024, Russia's ability to compensate for losses will decline.

"This is the period when Russia's irreversible losses will surpass their reserves of equipment. The Russian command knows this. That's why they're trying to capture as much as they can now, while they still have resources. Later, they'll try to force us into peace through their global allies and stop the active phase of hostilities," Kovalenko noted.

Kovalenko added that the intense phase of hostilities will cause record losses for Russia, which it won't be able to compensate.

"In the first stage, the enemy won't advance. In the second stage, they can't hold their defenses and will gradually abandon positions," he summarized.

• Since the start of July 15, there have been 69 combat clashes. Russian troops are focusing pressure on the Pokrovsk direction, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled 13 attacks there. 
• The Atesh partisan movement reported huge Russian losses in the Toretsk direction of the Donetsk region.