Ukraine’s counteroffensive so far: steady gains, heavy losses

Jim Townsend, an adjunct senior fellow in the Center for a New American Security’s Transatlantic Security Program, said Ukraine is moving through entrenched defenses and minefields and is probing for weaknesses in the initial phase of the counteroffensive.

Townsend said that means Ukraine is “going to pay a price in terms of vehicle loss” in the first wave of the operation, as it tries to “pick through” Russia’s defenses.

“The momentum really hasn’t started yet,” Townsend said. “What we have to keep in mind is they have had some great support and supplies so far — but that melts away in the opening few weeks of an offensive and we have to keep it going.”

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Townsend, from the Center for a New American Security, said the feuding with Prigozhin has damaged Russian operations. He also said Ukraine is likely to “take advantage” of Russian weaknesses: low troop morale and “bad leadership.”

“There’s a lot of problems the Russians have,” Townsend said, and “they’re going up against a very motivated Ukraine force that has a lot of Western equipment.”

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