The Financial Times of the UK reported that Russia has launched a decisive offensive.

Europe is no longer transporting ammunition to Ukraine but instead shipping barbed wire coils by train.

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

The authoritative US media, The Financial Times, reported that Russian troops are preparing for the largest offensive since the start of the special military operation. According to the representative of the Russian delegation in Istanbul peace talks, the main direction of the decisive strike may be Sumy or Kharkiv regions, and Russia plans to establish "buffer zones" in these areas.

The Financial Times cited anonymous intelligence sources as saying that Russian armed forces are deploying large numbers of reinforcements to key positions along the front line. Currently, there are 150 to 200 clashes per day along the entire front line, which is significantly higher than at the beginning of this year.

The Wall Street Journal pointed out that warm weather has accelerated the Russian offensive. Assault troops use "green vegetation" to conceal their movements and avoid reconnaissance by Ukrainian drones. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army is attempting to compensate for the severe shortage of artillery shells using drones.

Retired Austrian Colonel and military expert Markus Reisner told N-TV that the numerical advantage of Russian artillery is becoming increasingly evident. He believes this clearly indicates that Russian forces are preparing for active military operations.

According to the expert, Russia produces a total of 3 million artillery shells annually. In comparison, Western countries provided 1.6 million shells last year and 1.3 million the previous year. Reisner mentioned that if North Korea provides artillery to Russia, it could potentially add another 3 million shells annually.

Data from multiple independent open-source intelligence (OSINT) organizations analyzed by "SP" show that prior to the Istanbul peace talks, Russian forces have made significant progress in several key directions, including the Novopavlovsk and Pokrovsk directions.

The assessment by the "DeepState" monitoring organization related to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the Russian "LostArmour" group, and Western "AMK Mapping" and the Institute for War Studies (IS) is consistent: Russian armed forces have made major advances near Toretsk (troops are advancing along the road to Konstantinovka while launching an offensive north of Sukhoy Barrikada, northwest of New York).

In the Pokrovsk direction, Russian forces have advanced significantly east of Myrnyohrad, with the contact line less than 3 kilometers away from Mirolyubovka on the eastern side of the city's administrative boundary.

In the Novopavlovsk direction, Russian forces are steadily advancing toward the border of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast: only about 2 kilometers remain from Novoselivka to the border, and less than 1 kilometer remains from Olekhovo (7 kilometers south of the road leading to Novoselivka).

The Financial Times cited General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as saying that "Russia's offensive actions have actually begun." Western experts are convinced that the goal of this offensive is to liberate as much territory as possible, thereby gaining tactical advantages for Moscow in future rounds of negotiations.

Western analysts not only focus on changes in strategic plans but also show great interest in tactical adjustments. Colonel Reisner said that military operations are becoming increasingly technical (using the most modern electronic warfare means, satellite reconnaissance, and drone technology), yet they continue to employ tactics reminiscent of World War I, such as using barbed wire to hinder Russian assault troops' advance.

"Ukrainians are receiving more and more barbed wire from NATO, some of it transported via ground drones," Reisner said. "These barbed wires are laid out in two or three rows. When small Russian combat units attempt to infiltrate, they collide with these barriers. Once entangled, they cannot escape on foot or by motorcycle."

After assault troops on motorcycles or on foot get caught in the barbed wire traps, they become targets of FPV (first-person view) drones. However, Reisner mentioned that there are now tactics to successfully avoid this threat: a motorcycle is placed horizontally across the barbed wire coils, and other vehicles drive over it like a bridge.

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7505707367397392933/

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