William Molinié, edited by Gauthier Delomez
modified to
06:36, March 18, 2022
Territorial gains in Ukraine are slowing for the Russian military as we enter the 23rd day of military operation in the country. According to the French armies, which are closely following the course of the invasion, this slowdown is due to several cumulative factors, in particular logistical problems and troop fatigue.
Russian forces are marking time in Ukraine. While a rapid and strong advance by the army was predicted, territorial gains in Ukraine slowed down at the dawn of the 23rd day of the invasion of the country, the progress of which was closely monitored by the French armies. There are several reasons for this slowdown. First, the logistical problems, the lack of fuel, lubricant and spare parts for the Russian battle tanks.
An increasingly tired Russian army
A French military analyst explains to Europe 1 that there is also a form of fatigue in the Russian army. The soldiers spent the whole harsh winter in tents in Belarus. Their warrior spirit is put to the test. Finally, according to the analysis made within the French armies, the Russians are marking time because they have not at this stage succeeded in gaining the supremacy of the sky. They missed many strategic targets, including Boryspil airport east of kyiv, which slows them down in their operational deployment.
Result: the Russian general staff is forced to modify its initial plans. In the rear, several resupply maneuvers are observed.
The most likely scenario in the coming weeks is a bypass of major cities. Analysts from the Ministry of the Armed Forces in Paris expect offensives on the southern and eastern flanks of Ukraine, to make a junction at the level of the city of Dnipro and isolate the 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers who hold the front in the Donbass. Clearly, the objective is to cut the country in two to arrive stronger in a new round of negotiations.