- Ukrainian forces are conducting a counteroffensive, probing Russian defenses and preparing for a major assault.
- They have recaptured several villages along the frontline in the southeast.
- The success of the offensive depends on identifying vulnerabilities and leveraging them to breach Russian defenses.
The much-anticipated counteroffensive has begun, with Ukrainian forces preparing the battlefield before committing a significant number of tanks donated by NATO.
Along the frontline, Ukrainian forces are probing Russian defenses as they prepare to deploy new tanks built to NATO specifications.
According to a military expert, the highly anticipated counteroffensive is underway and in the “tidying up” phase, as Ukraine prepares the battlefield for a major assault when the time is right.
In the past week, according to Ukraine, its forces have recaptured seven villages along 60 miles of the frontline in the southeast.
Given Russia’s numerical superiority in men, ammunition, and air power, as well as the many months it has had to construct formidable defensive fortifications, the mission of liberating large portions of the country’s territory is daunting.
“They’re seizing settlements, but that’s nothing more than cleaning up the battlefield; they’re first ensuring that no Russians are hiding in them so that when they make a big push, they don’t find themselves suddenly surrounded and encircled.”
Once they identify a vulnerability, they will seek to leverage it, according to Mr. Bell.
“At that point, I believe we’ll witness an onslaught of tanks that will breach the Russian defenses and wreak devastation.
“If the Russians can cut off those advance forces, the situation will be dire, but if they flee, there could be a rout, and I believe that’s when we’ll see a dramatic change in fortunes here.”
In his Monday night video address, Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke of “ferocious” combat, but emphasized that his forces have “movement, which is crucial.”
Mr. Bell says that much depends on the resilience of the Ukrainian president, who is aware that committing his troops to an offensive will result in tens of thousands of casualties.
In wartime, there is a narrow line between success and failure, and a high degree of unpredictability.
Mr. Bell stated that Ukrainian military strategists are aware that Russia has units in reserve that can be deployed in response to a possible breakthrough.
“And part of what you do with deception plans is try to get your enemy to commit his reserves so that he doesn’t have reserves available to plug a hole you’re going to create elsewhere.”
Thus, a complex game of cat and mouse is occurring.
Mr. Bell says it is also conceivable that Russia, a superpower that has had time to fortify its defenses, will be able to withstand the Ukrainian onslaught and launch its offensive in the future.
