Russia to continue advancing for most of year - The New York Times

The Russian army may face a shortage of equipment (photo: Getty Images)

The military aid package from the US to Ukraine, approved in April, has helped the Armed Forces of Ukraine defend their positions. However, American weapons have not yet halted Russia's advance. The enemy still has the upper hand and will continue attacks, according to American analysts and Ukrainian military officials.

According to Rob Lee, a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia program, Russia still maintains a significant advantage in manpower and firepower. He believes that the Russian Federation will continue its offensive operations, which will last for most of the year. At the same time, he suggests that Russia may face a shortage of tanks and armored vehicles.

The risk of such a shortage arises due to the sufficient quantity of artillery ammunition, which Ukraine successfully uses to destroy enemy vehicles. This was stated by Lieutenant Denys Yaroslavsky, who is fighting in the Kharkiv direction.

"Before, our artillery batteries were being very cautious with the number of shells they could use and would not try to fire at just a few Russian soldiers," he said.

In the opinion of Ukrainian and Western military analysts, Russia's strategy to open a new front north of Kharkiv was aimed at stretching Ukraine's limited forces, weakening the defense in Donbas and the south of the country. However, according to Rob Lee, the Russian forces did not benefit from the Kharkiv offensive.

Judging by satellite maps, the southern Donetsk region has become the scene of the most intense fighting in recent weeks.

The Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, believes that Ukraine should be given the right to strike Russian territory with Western weapons without range restrictions.