The Russian army is preparing another offensive against Ukraine, but it lacks combat power. This is stated in the report of the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a press conference on the state of war on February 7, apparently in an attempt to position the Russian defense establishment as an effective and engaged leadership apparatus. Shoigu stated that Russian troops were successfully developing operations near Bakhmut and Vuhledar, and claimed that they had recently captured Soledar, Klishchievka, Podgorodnoe, Krasnopolevka, Blagodatnoe and Nikolaevka in the Bakhmut region and Lobkovo in the Zaporozhye region.
ISW analysts suggest that Shoigu went public to create an appearance of formality and legitimacy for the Russian Defense Ministry, which continues to reform the Russian army, prepare for a new offensive and create the conditions for a lengthy operation in Ukraine.
The ISW notes that the Russian military command may be in a hurry to launch a large-scale offensive operation with the aim of capturing the Donetsk region in an unrealistic time frame and, probably, without sufficient combat power.
Experts emphasize that the Russian nationalist propaganda media space continues to express concern about Russia’s inability to conduct a quick and multifaceted decisive offensive operation within a certain timeframe.
In addition, the state company Gazprom is likely to create its own “private security service” in opposition to the private military companies (PIK). At the same time, it is possible that the Kremlin is considering fulfilling some of the demands previously voiced by Wagner Group financier Yevgen Prigozhin in order to improve relations with other nationalist figures.
Source: Racurs
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