War in Ukraine. Military analysts: Russian troops have noticeably increased the pace of attacks

Russian troops have significantly increased the pace of ground attacks in eastern Ukraine over the past month, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) says in its review.

The Russian military probably wants to make progress before Western military aid reaches the front lines.

May 9 The spokesman of the Khortysia Armed Forces, Lt. Col. Nazar Voloshyn, stated that the number of combat operations has increased significantly since May 8, 1984. to 146 on May 9, and noted that most of the combat operations are taking place in the zone of responsibility of the Khortytsia group (the territory from the Kharkiv region to the border zone of the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions).

The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom announced that in 2024 March-April the number of Russian attacks increased by 17 percent. and that more than 75 percent recorded ground attacks took place in the directions of Časiv Yar, Avdijivka and Marijinka.

From March to April 200 percent the number of Russian attacks near Chasiv Yar increased.

Voloshin suggested that the current intensification of Russian attacks is due to the fact that the ground has dried up after the spring mud season, which facilitates rapid mechanized maneuvering, and that Russian forces are trying to take advantage of Ukraine’s relative weakness while it waits for help from the West.

ISW continues to assess that Russian forces are continuing to aggressively attack all of eastern Ukraine in an effort to gain an advantage until Western aid arrives in Ukraine.

Other analyst findings:

• May 9 In his speech on Victory Day, Russian leader Vladimir Putin expressed his belief that the West is trying to erase the Soviet Union’s contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany during the Great Patriotic War (World War II), which is the basis of Russia’s hostile attitude towards the West.
• V. Putin used the recent meeting with the commanders of several Russian frontline units to present himself as an informed and effective commander-in-chief of the Russian Armed Forces, who knows the situation at the front well and is involved in finding solutions to the problems plaguing the Russian military.
• During the Victory Day parade, Putin surrounded himself with a host of foreign officials, presumably to present himself as an effective statesman capable of creating a coalitional alternative to collective Western power structures.
• Russian Foreign Ministry (MFA) spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said that the Moldovan government is carrying out Nazi-era “genocide” in Moldova, an apparent twist in Kremlin officials’ rhetoric toward Moldova, which is likely intended to pave the way for Russia’s efforts to consolidate not only its individual regions, but the entire country. control of Moldova.
• The leaders of the pro-Kremlin opposition electoral bloc “Moldovska Pemegba” took part in the Victory Day parade in Moscow, which once again shows that the Kremlin intends to use these people to destabilize the whole of Moldova and undermine Moldova’s democracy and the country’s EU accession process.
• Over the past month, Russian forces have significantly increased the number of ground attacks in eastern Ukraine, which probably reflects the current situation on the battlefield and the Russian military leadership’s intention to consolidate success before the arrival of Western military aid to the front.
• Russian border guards are withdrawing their troops from much of Armenia as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian continues to face opposition at home over his decision on Nagorno-Karabakh.
• The Kremlin may try to take advantage of opposition outrage in Armenia and punish Pashinyan for moving further away from Russia.
• May 9 The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducted long-range drone strikes against Russian oil storage facilities and oil refining infrastructure in the Krasnodar Territory and the Republic of Bashkortostan.
• Recently, Russian forces have made confirmed advances near Avdiyivka and Donetsk.
• Russian soldiers continue to struggle with indiscipline within their ranks, with some Russian soldiers killing other members of their units.