The intensity of hostilities in Ukraine on both sides contradicts the claims of many high-ranking officials and analysts about the alleged impasse in the war.
What is known about the extremely high variability of the situation at the front in Ukraine
According to the journalists of the publication, the material of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valeriy Zaluzhnyy, with statements about the alleged stalemate in the war, could cause some external observers to have a false impression of a decrease in the intensity of hostilities.
However, as stated in the article, fierce battles continue along the entire front line, with losses on both sides.
For example, the authors of the material note that for several weeks, the criminal army of the Russian Federation has been trying to advance and surround the city, but the Ukrainian military is fiercely resisting and repelling enemy attacks.
The fighting continues, and little territory changes hands, and the grim toll mounts. According to soldiers and military analysts, Ukrainian forces have largely thwarted Russian attacks, using a combination of drones and cluster munitions to inflict some of the heaviest losses of the war on Russia.
The authors of the publication emphasize that while the criminal army of the Russian Federation is unsuccessfully trying to advance in the east of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to create a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson region.
The journalists emphasize that the actions of the Ukrainian military emphasize how dangerous the situation can remain on both sides.
According to Frederic W. Kagan, director of the critical threats project at the American Enterprise Institute, the positional war in Ukraine cannot be called a "dead end".
What is known about the factors affecting the situation at the front
He noted that several factors can tilt success in favour of one of the parties.
On the one hand, Western arsenals already have the weapons necessary to solve almost all the tasks facing the combatants in Ukraine. On the other hand, Russia's full mobilization of its economy and society can tip the scales in favor of the Kremlin, Kagan stressed.
According to Ben Hodges, the ex-commander of the US Forces in Europe, it would be a mistake to judge the success of the Ukrainian military solely by the results of the counteroffensive during the summer months.
He also admitted that he was struck by "how linear and down-to-earth some observers remain" of the war.
"It is telling that after nine years of conflict, two years after the Russian invasion, with all the advantages that the Kremlin has on their side, they can only control about 18% of Ukraine," Hodges emphasized.
But time, like weapons and ammunition, is a strategic commodity, and the Kremlin hopes it can outlast Ukraine's Western allies.
Former NATO commander Philip Breedlove warned that Ukraine will ultimately lose if the West continues to give Ukrainians "only what they need to stay on the battlefield, not what they need to win."
Ukrainian fighters on the front lines note that the Russians exert constant, frantic pressure in the east.
And although most days the map will remain almost unchanged, it takes its own "brutal dance" to keep the lines from moving.
People may find it boring, watching, waiting, not seeing changes. But they have no idea how difficult it is to just hold the line, notes one of the soldiers with the call sign "Black".
