Pulling the various reports together I've seen suggests the following (in the border area above Kharkiv):
1. There aren't enough Russian troops to capture a large city like Kharkiv, but it's one of their targets currently.
2. Kharkiv isn't within artillery range so they need to create a 'buffer zone' in order to make that happen so they can pound the city to destruction in the normal way.
3. The Russians are using 'golfcarts' and motorbikes in areas to insert many small assault groups of poorly trained troops to overwhelm UKR defences. This is why the heavy vehicle losses have dropped but troop casualties are at a peak.
4. UKR do a very good job of taking out large assualt groups backed up by tanks/APCs using drones/HIMARS/Bradleys/ATGMs etc. These small, fast insertion groups spread over a wider area present a smaller, more dispersed target.
5. UKR need a lot more drones (with operators) and explosives to manufacture specific drone-based ordanance to counter that type of threat. HIMARS/ATACMS and other precision artillery will be wasted on small assault groups like that, so they aren't using them as they would on large, mechanized groups. This is possibly why RUS is able to slowly move forward and create the buffer zone, albeit with very heavy losses of men.
6. RUS are using this tactic now because they can't wait until they have enough manpower/equipment to attack in much larger mechanised groups due to the threat of the impending arrival of U.S. weapons.
If they're allowed to continue in this way and create the buffer zone, they'll move artillery in and start pounding Kharkiv to rubble. It's not going to be a quick or easy process and as long as UKR can get what they need in the meantime I think they should be able to push them back out of this buffer zone and stabilize that part of the front. So it's yet again down to U.S. and EU delivering what's needed in a timely manner. The money is being committed but the delivery seem to be very slow.
Anyway, still some good work being done using what they have right now. Big strike on Belbek airfield last night:
1. There aren't enough Russian troops to capture a large city like Kharkiv, but it's one of their targets currently.
2. Kharkiv isn't within artillery range so they need to create a 'buffer zone' in order to make that happen so they can pound the city to destruction in the normal way.
3. The Russians are using 'golfcarts' and motorbikes in areas to insert many small assault groups of poorly trained troops to overwhelm UKR defences. This is why the heavy vehicle losses have dropped but troop casualties are at a peak.
4. UKR do a very good job of taking out large assualt groups backed up by tanks/APCs using drones/HIMARS/Bradleys/ATGMs etc. These small, fast insertion groups spread over a wider area present a smaller, more dispersed target.
5. UKR need a lot more drones (with operators) and explosives to manufacture specific drone-based ordanance to counter that type of threat. HIMARS/ATACMS and other precision artillery will be wasted on small assault groups like that, so they aren't using them as they would on large, mechanized groups. This is possibly why RUS is able to slowly move forward and create the buffer zone, albeit with very heavy losses of men.
6. RUS are using this tactic now because they can't wait until they have enough manpower/equipment to attack in much larger mechanised groups due to the threat of the impending arrival of U.S. weapons.
If they're allowed to continue in this way and create the buffer zone, they'll move artillery in and start pounding Kharkiv to rubble. It's not going to be a quick or easy process and as long as UKR can get what they need in the meantime I think they should be able to push them back out of this buffer zone and stabilize that part of the front. So it's yet again down to U.S. and EU delivering what's needed in a timely manner. The money is being committed but the delivery seem to be very slow.
Anyway, still some good work being done using what they have right now. Big strike on Belbek airfield last night:
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