NEW YORK, October 3. /TASS/. Russia's "elastic defense" on the battlefield hinders the so-called Ukrainian counter-offensive, The New York Times says.
According to the newspaper, Russian troops withdraw to a second line of defense and then attack when Ukrainian forces are at their weakest. This prevents Ukrainian forces from consolidating their new positions and using them for further advances.
"The defender gives ground while inflicting as heavy casualties as they can on the attackers with a view to being able to set the attackers up for a decisive counterattack," Ben Barry, a senior fellow for land war studies at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, explained. He noted that Soviet troops used similar tactics in 1943 during the Battle of Kursk.
The Ukrainian military and officials also cite extensive minefields and fortifications among the factors hindering the advance of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the newspaper states. Kiev also blames the lack of success on the West delaying deliveries of fighter jets and long-range weapons.
The Ukrainian army has been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4. On September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Kiev had lost 71,500 troops and about 18,500 tanks as well as other armored vehicles. On September 26, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that Ukraine's losses had exceeded 17,000 people in one month, and that the "counter-offensive" had failed to yield significant results.