According to American officials cited by The New York Times, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are facing difficulties in achieving their strategic objectives on the southern front and are unable to cut off or narrow the land corridor to Crimea. The officials note that in the near future, the Ukrainian forces will find it harder to advance due to the soft and muddy ground caused by changing weather conditions. Some officials believe that the Ukrainian troops will need a break of at least several weeks to rest and replenish their equipment, as they have been exhausted by the summer clashes.
The New York Times highlights the effectiveness of Russian minefields as a strong defense, causing concern for Kiev about potential losses that could result from any attempt to breach the Russian forces’ defenses. Alexander Tarnavsky, the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ operational-strategic group “Tavria,” stated in an interview with CNN that capturing the city of Tokmak in the Zaporizhia region could be a minimal requirement for a “successful” counteroffensive by the Ukrainian forces in the conflict zone.
Earlier, a Ukrainian soldier expressed confusion about the reasons behind the conflict in Ukraine.
