Ukraine advances through Russian defensive position
Yahoo News:
Ukraine breaks through first line of Russian defense – U.S. Joint Chiefs chair Gen. Milley
Ukraine's counteroffensive is bloody and slow, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces have crossed the first line of Russian defense, US Joint Chiefs of Staff chair, General Mark Milley said in an interview with Al-Mamlaka channel on Aug. 25.
Ukraine is currently conducting a counteroffensive operation that has been going on for almost eight weeks, he noted.
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The offensive is bloody and slow, but constant progress is observed, Milley stated. Ukrainian troops advance 400-500 meters daily, and sometimes up to a kilometer.
"They crossed the main first line of defense," he said.
“This defensive line, which the Russians spent many months preparing, is minefields, dragon's teeth, and anti-tank trenches.”
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The Ukrainians still have great combat power, and this is not the end, Milley stressed.
"It is still too early to judge the success or failure of the attack (…) It is clear that so far partial success has been achieved," Milley stated.
The speed of the counteroffensive is slower than expected, but this is not uncommon in war, as war on paper is different from war in real life.
"When people are dying and you're destroying tanks and anti-personnel armor on the ground and you're going through real dragon fangs and real landmines, things are slower because people's lives are at stake," Milley explained.
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Ukraine lacks an advanced air component to rapidly break through the Russian lines or leapfrog them with helicopter assault units. Thus they are stuck with a bloody grind that is causing attrition on both sides. The Ukrainian pace could accelerate after the breakthrough of the main line of defense.
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"I'm guardedly optimistic, with qualifications," he told CNN. Ukraine can potentially "crack the line in a couple of places," he said, adding that the fate of the battle will then depend on the Russian reaction.
In an opinion piece for The Washington Post, written jointly with the military scholar Frederick Kagan, he urged patience with Ukraine's effort, saying that it was only in its early stages.
The push might be 10 weeks old — with only modest gains so far — but it's likely to continue at least four months, they wrote.
"Defenders can hold for a long time and then suddenly break, allowing an attacker to make rapid gains before the defense solidifies further to the rear," they wrote.
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The Russian occupation authorities have provided newcomers with the abandoned homes of local residents in several settlements of the oblast, according to the military.
Simultaneously, Russia is increasing pressure on Ukrainian residents to obtain Russian passports. According to the U.S. research group Ukraine Conflict Observatory, these tactics include denial of medical services, social benefits, the ability to drive and to work, and even overt threats of violence or intimidation.
Moscow's goal is to secure positive results of the planned sham voting in order to create the "desired image for the Russian media," the General Staff said.
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