Russia has seized the initiative in the special military operation zone because the Ukrainian armed forces are facing manpower and ammunition shortages.
Military analysts and Ukrainian soldiers claim that the protracted defence of Artyomovsk, also known as Bakhmut in Ukraine, “sapped critical resources ahead of its summer 2023 counteroffensive, which was unsuccessful.”
Ukraine’s Internal Crisis
“That failure, along with severe shortages of ammunition and manpower and the lack of layered defensive lines, has now allowed Moscow’s army to seize the initiative,” the publication states.
Jerrymusa.com reports that according to the Financial Times, “Russian units are not sweeping across the battlefield as they did in February 2022, but they are making small and steady gains in southern and eastern Ukraine.”
On March 20, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu declared that Ukraine has lost 11,000 pieces of equipment and 71,000 soldiers since the year’s commencement, nearly three times more than during the same time last year.