Ukraine's successful counteroffensive wearing down confidence in Russian Command: ISW

Ukraine's newly launched counteroffensives against the Russian forces in the east and south and Russia's silence on the casualties of its troops have undermined the trust in the Russian command, according to a new analysis published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Ukrainian officials announced that its military forces pushed the offensive approximately 50 kilometres (31 miles) into Russian defensive positions north of Izyum in the Kharkiv Oblast. Although, Kremlin has yet to acknowledge the counterattacks. 

"Ukrainian successes on the Kharkiv City-Izyum line are creating fissures within the Russian information space and eroding confidence in Russian command to a degree not seen since a failed Russian river crossing in mid-May," the analysis by the think tank Study of War (ISW) stated. 

According to ISW, the Ukrainian military's successful countermeasures against the Russian troops within the occupied regions, and the Russian MoD has remained mute over fears of criticism and debate about the Russian failures. Invading enemy forces have failed to retain control over the city of Balakliya, approximately 44km northwest of Izyum, the Ukrainian officials said. Some Russian forces have fully or partially withdrawn from Balakliya, while others complained that Ukrainian forces coerced them out of the occupied settlement, the think tank report revealed. It furthermore stressed that the Rosgvardia units operating in the area did not coordinate their defences or have sufficient artillery capabilities to prevent Ukrainian counterattacks in the region.

Ukraine's Army targets Russian GLOCs, command and control points

As the Ukrainian military made incremental advances in Kherson Oblast, it targeted the Russian ground lines of communication (GLOCs), command and control points, and ammunition depots throughout the region. The experts said that Russians may have been warned of the impending Ukrainian counteroffensive northwest of Izyum for days prior, but they failed to prepare for “obvious and predictable” Ukrainian counteroffensives. 

Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian Main Operational Department Oleksiy Hromov stated that Ukrainian forces launched countermeasures across the several dozen kilometres in unspecified areas in the Kherson Oblast direction that was controlled by Russians. Ukraine‘s Southern Operational Command said that its military troops struck two Russian pontoon bridges over the Dnipro and Inhulets rivers on the night of September 8 and made them inaccessible. 

A Russian Ka-52 helicopter gunship is seen in the field after a forced landing outside Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit: AP

Ukrainian ballistic missiles and aviation struck two Russian ammunition depots, an unspecified command post, and key positions of a Russian platoon. Ths has led to rigorous offensives by the Russians on the southern Kherson-Zaporizhia Oblast border as locals supplied information to Ukrainian forces about Russian troops entering Kherson Oblast.

"Ukrainian forces have 'completely outplayed' the Russian military command in Balakliya, but military experts have encouraged to wait to discuss Russian losses and withhold criticism until Russian forces stabilize the frontlines," ISW said in its analysis.