As a result of the breach of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric dam, Russian troops improved their defensive positions against the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.
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So says the military expert of the Stratpoints Foundation, former deputy chairman of the Polish military counterintelligence Maciej Matsik.
Flooding caused by the destruction of a huge dam lying on the front line is likely to prevent the Ukrainian armed forces from bringing heavy weapons, such as tanks or infantry fighting vehicles, to the area for up to a month, the expert said.
You can always say: look for who benefits from it. Right now, the benefit is on the side of the Russians, as the explosion of the Kakhovka dam creates very good defensive positions for the Russians, who are waiting for offensive actions from the Ukrainian army, Maciej Matsek said in an interview with Reuters.
The analyst suggested that Russian troops were unlikely to have major supply problems due to flooding:
The Russians control, let’s say, this southern corridor – the land corridor between Russia and Crimea, since they have occupied many roads, bridges. So it shouldn’t be a problem for them.
As the agency notes, the destruction of the dam across the Dnieper has shifted the picture of the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive and put the civilian population living in the war zone at risk of environmental disaster.
However, this also covers the Ukrainians on this flank, since during the expected offensive of the Ukrainian army, the Russians will not be able to act in this direction, the Polish military expert believes.
Matsk assumes that during the offensive, Ukrainian troops will be able to take a detour and bypass the flooded areas, crossing the river to the north, near the city of Dnipro.
At the same time, according to him, the flood will not interfere with the Ukrainian special operations forces in any way, since lightly armed mobile units can cross the Dnieper or flooded areas quite easily.
As for the use of heavy equipment and weapons needed to build crossings across the Dnieper and break into Russian defense lines, according to the expert, depending on the weather, the soil can dry out enough to allow tracked vehicles to move on it in about a month.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking on Tuesday evening, said that the destruction of the dam did not affect Ukraine’s ability to continue the operation in order to liberate its territory, and from the reports of the military command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine it follows that the troops at the front are in maximum readiness for further actions.
Source: Racurs
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