Ukraine trying to stretch out Russian forces before striking

An aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles in the Donetsk region. Pic/AP

Fighting has intensified at multiple points along the 1,500-km front line. Ukrainian forces are making steady progress along the northern and southern flanks of the wrecked city of Bakhmut, which Russian forces have been occupying since May. Battles are also raging along the southern front in Zaporizhzhia, where Ukrainian forces are making minimal gains and coming up against formidable Russian fortifications.

Hanna Maliar, Ukraine's deputy minister of defense, recently claimed that Kyiv's forces had destroyed six Russian ammunition depots in the space of 24 hours, a remark that hinted at Ukrainian tactics. "We inflict effective, painful and precise blows and bleed the occupier, for whom the lack of ammunition and fuel will sooner or later become fatal," she said.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin's forces are using large numbers of anti-tank mines to slow Ukraine's armored counteroffensive operations in southern Ukraine. That puts exposed Ukrainian attackers at the mercy of Russian drones, helicopters and artillery. Admiral Tony Radakin, chief of the UK defence staff, said Russia has lost about half its combat strength since its full-scale invasion in February 2022. "Also, Russian factories aren't able to supply enough munitions to replace those lost on the battlefield," he said.

‘Russia has enough cluster bombs'

Russian rockets launched, as seen from Kharkiv. Pic/AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has a "sufficient stockpile" of cluster munitions, and warned that Russia "reserves the right to take reciprocal action" if Ukraine uses the controversial weapons. Putin said that Russia has not used cluster bombs in its war in Ukraine so far, although their use by both Russia and Ukraine has been widely documented.

1,500 km
Length of the battle frontline where fighting has intensified

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