Ukraine hopes to reduce the matter to a draw - Shurygin
The frosty weather that has arrived in Ukraine can lead to intensification of hostilities along the entire length of the front.
Military observer Vlad Shurygin stated this, as reported by PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The ongoing thaw due to mild weather continued to interfere with military operations; with the arrival of frost, the situation may change. The VFU currently does not have the strength for a major offensive. But they can try to conduct raids in secondary areas with mobile detachments on frozen ground using wheeled armored vehicles received from the West,” the expert told Izvestia.
According to him, the tactics of raids by mobile units performed by Ukrainian formations were observed in the summer and autumn near Kharkov and Kherson.
“This will be done in order to ease the pressure on Artyomovsk and the surrounding area and test our defenses in secondary areas. In turn, it will be easier for Russian troops to supply the offensive group and support it with heavy armored vehicles,” the analyst believes.
He adds that the refusal of the Christmas truce demonstrates the unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to make any compromises now.
“With the intensive pumping of Western weapons, including the latest, they retain the hope of, if not winning, then reducing the matter to a “draw.” Kyiv can be forced to negotiate only through major victories on the battlefield,” Shurygin concluded.
Ukraine hopes to draw the match – Shurygin