Russian troops slow down offensive near Bakhmut, - ISW
The advance of Russian troops in the area of Bakhmut has slowed down in recent days. Russian troops have admitted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces have pushed back the Wagner group to the positions they held a few days ago.
As reports Censor.NЕТ, this is stated by Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts estimate that Russian troops made fewer overall offensives in the Bakhmut area in November and December compared to October.
Russian forces are likely to find it difficult to maintain the pace of their offensive operations in the Bakhmut area and may try to initiate a tactical or operational pause, experts say.
The Russians currently do not have the necessary stockpile of artillery ammunition to support large-scale offensive operations.
Reports of heavy casualties of Wagner mercenaries in the Bakhmut area in recent weeks have also likely affected the current operational capabilities of Russian forces in the area, analysts write.
The Russian army's lack of personnel and ammunition will likely not allow it to maintain the current high tempo of offensive operations in the Bakhmut area in the near term. Russian forces previously allocated significant resources to seize Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in the spring and summer of 2022. Russian forces culminated in the capture of Lysychansk in early July, but failed to capture nearby Siversk and Sloviansk.
The Russian military's fixation on conducting a campaign of exhaustion to achieve the tactical goals of capturing Severodonetsk and Lysychansk ultimately undermined the ability of the Russian armed forces to achieve their larger operational goal of encircling Ukrainian forces along the E40 highway and eventually reaching the administrative borders of the Donetsk region.
Russia's costly offensive on Bakhmut could also undermine its ability to pursue longer-term goals in the Donbas, ISW noted.
