By ceding ground before striking back, Moscow’s forces are using a longstanding method to impede Ukraine’s counteroffensive, analysts say- russia.
Here’s what we’re covering:
- A tactic known as ‘elastic defense’ is one of several factors aiding Russia.
- Little ground has changed hands as Ukraine seeks a battlefield breakthrough.
- The ruble dips below a symbolic threshold, as worries about Russia’s wartime spending deepen.
- Russian drone attacks cause damage in southern Ukraine, officials say.
As Ukraine’s counteroffensive has rumbled forward in recent months, it has encountered minefields and forces dug into elaborate trench networks. Kyiv’s forces have also run up against a Russian tactic of ceding ground before striking back.
Reports on Monday illustrated the issue: Russian forces said they had staged an assault on Ukrainian troops on the frontline in Zaporizhzhia region, while Ukraine’s forces said it had “repelled the attacks.”
Rather than holding a line of trenches at all costs in the face of Ukraine’s assault, security experts say, Russian commanders have employed a longstanding military tactic known as “elastic defense.”
Ukraine and Russia have fought intense battles since June, when Kyiv launched a counteroffensive buoyed by billions of dollars in military aid from NATO allies, but relatively little ground has changed hands. Here’s a look at the state of the battlefield.