“Russia’s military command is likely to have received new tasks from Russia’s ruler, Vladimir Putin, focusing efforts on securing territorial gains rather than capturing major cities. Source: ISW Details: Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War note in their report that Putin, during his annual “Straight Line” press conference on December 19, emphasized the achievements of Russian troops, who he said are advancing “square kilometers” along the front line.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Russia’s military command is likely to have received new tasks from Russia’s ruler, Vladimir Putin, focusing efforts on securing territorial gains rather than capturing major cities.
Source: ISW
Details: Analysts of the Institute for the Study of War note in their report that Putin, during the annual press conference “Straight Line” on December 19, emphasized the achievements of Russian troops, who, according to him, are advancing “by square kilometers” along the front line. This approach contrasts with the previous emphasis on capturing important population centers.
Analysts say Putin may have instructed the military command to delay the capture of the strategic city of Pokrovsk, focusing instead on advancing through open fields and small settlements. Russian troops are now 10 kilometers from the administrative border of Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Literally: Seizing the entire Donetsk region remains one of the Kremlin’s key goals. It is likely that this promotion is used as a propaganda element to demonstrate the successes of the Russian military both domestically and internationally.
Details: Analysts add that an organized operation against well-fortified cities could slow the pace of the advance, which is critical to the Kremlin’s attempts to project Russian superiority on the world stage.
Key findings:
- Russian troops are gradually advancing to the south and southwest of Pokrovsk. However, it remains unclear whether they will be able to use these successes to encircle the city, or whether they intend to advance to the administrative border of Donetsk region.
- It is unclear which efforts the Russian military command will prioritize. Probably, the ruler of Russia, Vladimir Putin, set before the military the task of consolidating territorial gains, and not capturing large settlements.
- The Russian command appears to have divided responsibility for the Pokrovsky direction between the 2nd and 41st combined arms armies of the Central Military District. At the same time, the ISW has not yet observed significant activity in the area of responsibility of the ZVA.
- A decrease in the fighting capacity of Russian troops can slow down their advance in the Pokrovsky direction. The increase in armor losses over the past year, especially among units that have been at the front for most of 2024, may also affect the pace of their operations.
- North Korea is reportedly planning to deploy more troops and weapons to Russia. This is happening against the background of information about more than 3,000 dead and wounded North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin used a meeting with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to advance the Kremlin’s campaign to undermine Western unity in support of Ukraine.
- The Kremlin is probably creating informational conditions for provocation under a false flag in the separatist region of Transnistria. This may be part of attempts to destabilize Moldova and prevent its integration into the EU.
- According to reports, Russian troops have completely left most of their positions in Syria, in particular the base in Qamishla in the north of the country.
- Russian troops advanced near Kupyansk, Toretsk, Vugledar, Velika Novosilka and in the Kursk region.
- The Kremlin’s “Time of Heroes” program, aimed at appointing veterans to government positions, is already causing conflicts between them and corrupt regional officials.