ISW predicts that the Ukrainian counter-offensive will likely consist of many operations of various scales in many different regions.
Ukraine has carried out counter-offensive operations with varying results in at least three different areas of the battlefront, says the think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to ISW, Ukrainian officials have given indications that Ukrainian forces have moved from defensive positions to attack near the city of Bahmut, for example, and have advanced on sites in the city.
Ukrainian forces are estimated to have achieved tactical success in recent days with limited counter-offensive operations also in the Donetsk region near the border of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions.
ISW says that Ukrainian troops also carried out an attack in the Zaporizhzhia region on the night between Wednesday and Thursday, but without significant progress.
ISW estimates that the Russian forces managed to defend against the attack in the Zaporizhzhia region and regain their own positions during Thursday.
According to ISW, the Russian Defense Ministry responded to the Ukrainian attack with uncharacteristic consistency, praising Russian forces for repelling the attack and retaking the positions.
ISW assesses that Ukraine’s offensive in the Zaporizhia region does not reflect Ukraine’s counteroffensive capability well, as Ukraine has previously demonstrated the ability to conduct coordinated offensive operations in multiple areas.
ISW predicts that the Ukrainian counter-offensive will likely consist of many operations of various scales in many different regions.
It is estimated that the Ukrainian forces also lost equipment provided by Western countries in their counter-offensive operations. ISW emphasizes that the losses of equipment in the initial stages of the attack do not yet tell much about the potential of Ukraine’s counterattack.