Russian summer offensive unlikely to radically alter front lines — expert

Defense Express development director Valerii Riabykh expressed the opinion on Espreso TV.

“It is worth noting that the capabilities of the Russian army are not unlimited. It can already be stated that, having started their summer offensive, the enemy is burning through a significant portion of their reserves, and this has been facilitated by the rather effective actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 

Partly, this has also been influenced by the fact that the Russians have set political objectives for the rapid capture of the entire Donetsk region. The Ukrainian Defense Forces have managed to draw the enemy to those sections of the front where it is more advantageous and effective to destroy them. In particular, in the area of Kurakhove, where the enemy is forced to fulfill political objectives and is also burning through their reserves,” Riabykh explained.

The expert emphasized that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are effectively conducting a defensive operation, destroying the enemy’s reserves that the Russians had prepared for the summer offensive.

“To say that the Russian army can radically change the situation on the front line during the summer is not warranted. It should be noted that there is a good chance that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will excellently carry out all our defensive and strategic operations to contain the enemy and systematically destroy their military capabilities. This could create conditions for a further offensive operation. 

However, today we are only at the beginning of the enemy’s summer offensive. Therefore, various factors may influence the course of this offensive. For example, changes in oil prices, which are positive for the enemy,” he concluded.

• Since the beginning of June 16, 99 combat engagements have occurred on the Russian-Ukrainian front. The most attacks were recorded in the Pokrovsk and Novopavlivka directions.