The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in its next summary of the situation on the fronts of Ukraine analyzes statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the Russian leader speaks commendably about the actions of the marine corps, which, according to him, “fought heroically.” The opinions of American experts are given by BBC.
ISW analysts believe that these words are designed to demonstrate the support of the Russian Ministry of Defense at the time when the Russian army “tolerates catastrophic losses near the city of Ugledar in the Donetsk region.” The institute recalls that when trying to storm Ugled, a great damage was inflicted precisely the 155th brigade of the Marine Corps of the Pacific Fleet. The Russian military department about the losses as a result of these battles has not yet reported, and the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu spoke about the “successful development of the offensive.”
“Putin, probably, specially agrees with an overly optimistic description of the situation at the front near Ugledar, given to support the narrative about the immediate and powerful Russian offensive in the Donetsk region, the authors of the report.” Putin is also likely to refrain from that To agree with military bloggers, more and more accusing the Ministry of Defense of inability to learn from their own mistakes with mechanized attacks. “
At the same time, according to ISW, Putin’s comments “may also talk about the intention to strengthen the attack on Ugledar with a large number of mobilized troops or to send the remaining units of the Northern Fleet there again.” In favor of the latest version, the observations of the Ukrainian military are also said, which speak of the concentration of the Northern Fleet troops in Mariupol, which may prepare for sending under Ugledar.
At the same time, the ISW report contains that “the use of the Russian army mobilized as replenishment for the affected formations is unlikely to help create sufficient offensive opportunities for a full -scale and quick mechanized offensive.”