BERLIN, September 16. /TASS/. The city of Ugledar will probably fall as Russian forces continue to advance, overcoming Ukrainian resistance, Austrian military analyst Colonel Markus Reisner told NTV television.

He said Russian troops are trying to strengthen their strikes on the flanks of Krasnoarmeysk (known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk). According to the analyst, the situation is difficult for Ukrainian forces in the Ugledar area.

"The Russians can now move from one coal mine to the next. It will be impossible for the Ukrainians to effectively defend the territory. Eventually, in all likelihood, Ugledar will fall as well," he said. "Despite all the resistance, the Russians are making headway step by step. The strikes, and with them the front line, are moving further and further to the west."

According to the analyst, during Ukraine’s so-called counteroffensive in summer of 2023, the country’s forces lost a great deal of equipment. For example, of their 31 US Abrams tanks, two-thirds were destroyed or damaged, he said.

"During the offensive and subsequent defensive battles, a lot of Leopard II tanks were also lost," he went on to says.

Even so, Reisner said, Kiev plans a new offensive next year.

Asked whether the approximately 100 Leopard I tanks that were promised to Ukraine could help, he described the tanks as "significantly weaker" than the Leopard II model.

The Leopard I tank is on par with Russian and Ukrainian armored vehicles of the 1970s and 1980s, except certain improvements, the colonel said.

"If Ukraine wants to hold on to its current territories, it needs at least 300 tanks. But if it wants to retake the territories in 2025, it needs at least 3,000 tanks," the analyst said.

According to Reisner, Russia takes advantage of the lack of unity in the ranks of Western countries.