ISW continues to believe that Russian forces have regained the initiative in most of the Ukrainian theater, but have not regained the initiative in the Kherson region.
Russian tactical aviation operations in the Sea of Azov region are being reduced. Russian aviation capabilities may have deteriorated after Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian A-50 airborne early warning aircraft and caused serious damage to a Russian Il-22 air command post on the night of January 14, a report said. of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
The Kremlin appears to lack a coherent framework for Russia’s current offensive operations that can be presented to the Russian public, analysts say.
It was noted that the Russian dictator of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, made statements that the Russian occupation forces seem to “absolutely” have the initiative in Ukraine after the apparently unsuccessful Ukrainian counter-offensive, which may made as part of his election campaign. This is a marked departure from his December 2023 rhetoric.
However, the ISW continues to believe that Russian troops have regained the initiative in most of the Ukrainian theaters of operations, but have not taken the initiative on the battlefield in the Kherson region.
On January 16, Russian troops reportedly confirmed an offensive in the area of Kremennaya, Lugansk region, and Bakhmut, Donetsk region, as positional battles continued along the front line.
ISW notes that Putin has consistently shown that the Russian Federation is not interested in negotiations with Ukraine and that the maximalist goals of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, which amount to the complete surrender of Ukraine and the West, remain unchanged.
Let’s recall that on January 14, social networks and media reported that the Defense Forces destroyed the A-50 long-range radar detection and control aircraft and damaged the Il-22M aircraft, located in the Sea of Azov. .
Subsequently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny, confirmed the destruction of the A-50 and Il-22 aircraft.
Source: korrespondent
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