by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Over the past week, Russian troops have captured several villages in eastern Ukraine, achieving quick but limited advances against thinly stretched Ukrainian forces, who have relinquished territory while awaiting promised military aid from the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal.
Recently, Russia has taken control of multiple villages in the Eastern Donetsk region as Ukrainian forces have retreated.
“The situation at the front worsened,” Ukraine’s commander in chief, Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskiy, stated on Sunday. “[The enemy is] actively attacking along the entire front line with tactical success in some areas.”
Although Russia hasn’t managed a significant breakthrough, it is slowly making headway toward its long-held objective of seizing Ukraine’s eastern industrial hub, the Donbas region. The Wall Street Journal reports that Russia’s notable gains are partly due to a shortage of support and munitions from Western allies.
“In military parlance, we are in the middle of a so-called shaping phase of an offensive,” explained Vienna-based defense analyst Franz-Stefan Gady to the Wall Street Journal. “The main aim of these Russian attacks is to slowly grind down Ukrainian defenses along the front line to enable Russian ground forces to maneuver and capture tactically and operationally important military objectives.”
Gady further noted that the recent capture of villages brings Russian forces closer to major targets like the cities of Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk to the north, which could threaten Ukraine’s primary defensive line in the Donbas.
Last week, following a breakthrough in Ukrainian defenses at the village of Ocheretyne, Russian forces have worked to widen the gap. Over the weekend, Syrskiy reported that Ukrainian troops had fallen back to positions west of the villages of Berdychi, Semenivka, and Novomykhailivka, “preserving the lives and health of our defenders.”
However, a substantial collapse of Ukraine’s defenses could occur, warned Gady. “The threat of a partial Ukrainian front-line collapse in 2024 is real.”
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a long-awaited aid package to address Ukraine’s severe ammunition shortage, with military support now en route. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently highlighted the disparity in firepower, noting Ukraine could only respond with one artillery round for every 10 fired by Russia.
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