The American Institute for Studying War (ISW) published its daily ballot, this time special attention is paid to the Russian offensive on Bakhmut.
In particular, the report says that the Russian campaign near Bakhmut shows that the Russian Army has not learned anything after previous assaults, when objects of very limited strategic significance were taken at the cost of large losses.
It is noted that since the end of May, Russian troops have constantly consumed combat forces on small settlements around Bakhmut and have advanced several kilometers in six months. “The efforts of Russians at the attack on Bakhmut led to the continued depletion of manpower and technology, as a result of which the troops were clamped in relatively minor settlements for weeks and months. This scheme of operations is very reminiscent of the previous attempts by the Russian Federation to take Severodonetsk and Lisichansk at the beginning of the war,” – indicated American analysts.
According to ISW, during June and July of this year the Armed Forces of Ukraine achieved that the Russian troops concentrated efforts on Severodonetsk and Lisichansk, which have limited operational and strategic significance, acquiring the benefits from the ongoing degradation of Russian manpower and technology.
“Russian troops ultimately captured Lisichansk and Severodonetsk and reached the border of the Luhansk region, but this tactical success led to a slight operational effect, since then the Russian offensive in the east reached its climax. The efforts of Russia in this area were mostly at a dead end as in early July. Even if Russian troops continue to advance to Bakhmut and within its limits, and even if they force the controlled departure of Ukrainians from the city (as it was in Lisichansk), Bakhmut himself offers them few operational advantages, ”the said in Report of the American Institute.
significant forces are spent on the assault on Bakhmut, which weakens other sections of the front and creates the conditions for Ukrainian counterattacks in other directions, experts noted.