DivineHeretic
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Ukraine has been husbanding men and material for a spring/summer counteroffensive ever since the recapture of Kherson last year. By our estimates Ukraine should have amassed atleast 180K-250K men and 500+ AFVs but we see no evidence of the deployment of the same across the theatre. On the Russian side it should be a similar number of men and around 1500-2000 AFVs.They would be lucky if they hold bakhmut in the coming weeks the way Ukraine is flooding that area.
Russia and Ukraine are now in a game of nerves, waiting for the other side to commit to their offensive (and hopefully tying down the enemy spearheads with second line forces) which would enable thier own forces to mount an offensive without the fear of unkwnown powerful enermy battlegroups.
This would explain the meatgrinder that is Bakhmut. Russians want to capture it to open up the battlefield for their spring offensive and/or to tie down Ukrainian reserves in the area. Ukraine has been hoping to get Russia to keep their as much of their military tied up with this town while Ukraine amasses and prepares to counterattack either along the east or, more likely the south.