Military intelligence: Russia moving to strategic defense after 'failed' offensive

Russian forces are moving to an overall strategic defense posture following a failed winter offensive, Andriy Yusov, spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence agency HUR, said on national television on April 20.

"The Russians have no intention of replicating the attempts we witnessed after Feb. 24 last year, but that does not mean the enemy is defeated or that it no longer poses a danger to Ukraine," Yusov said.  

"There is still a large amount of manpower, mobilization potential, and equipment, albeit outdated."

According to Yusov, the most combat-ready part of the Russian military has already been eliminated in Ukraine.

Holding onto Donetsk Oblast remains the Russian military's "maniacal goal," Yusov added.

Russia's plan to "take Kyiv in three days" ended in failure when Ukrainian forces successfully pushed out Russian forces in early April 2022.

Ukraine's military went on to launch a successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2022, and the city of Kherson was later liberated in November 2022 after eight months of occupation.

Since Russia launched its all-out war against Ukraine, the Russian military has lost 184,420 troops, as per the April 20 update of Ukraine's General Staff.

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Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell