Commander of the Air Assault Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleh Apostol stated during a meeting with journalists that the pace of the Russian troops' advance at the front has significantly decreased compared to previous periods of the conflict, RBC-Ukraine reports. Answering a question about the gradual capture of Ukrainian territories, he emphasized that the current phase of combat operations should not be compared to periods of intense offensive.
"It has very significantly slowed down"
"It has very significantly slowed down," Apostol noted, characterizing the pace of the Russian offensive. According to his assessment, one of the key reasons for this slowdown is the significant losses of the enemy, which affect the ability of Russian units to maintain their previous combat intensity. At the same time, the commander acknowledged that the Russian army continues to rely on its advantage in human resources to conduct offensive operations.
Capturing positions does not equal operational success
The Commander of the Air Assault Forces also clarified that capturing individual small positions for a long time does not necessarily mean achieving operational success. "If he takes one tree line in a month, this is not some operational success upon which something can be built," Apostol explained. Thus, according to him, local advances do not translate into a sustainable operational result that could be used to develop an offensive.
Situation in various sectors of the front
The situation in certain sectors of the front was also commented on by the commander of the 82nd Bukovyna Air Assault Brigade, Yehor Nozdryakov. According to him, there is no enemy infiltration in the sector for which his unit is responsible. Earlier it was reported that in the Huliaipole direction, Russian troops have multiplied the number of assault attempts and switched to advancing one by one through the dense fire of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Context: statements about AFU successes
Against the background of these statements, the Ukrainian side also notes its own successes: according to available data, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have advanced in the Sumy and Donetsk directions, and also disrupted a number of offensive operations by the Russian army. The combination of these factors, according to the Air Assault Forces command, forms a picture of a slowdown in the enemy's advance at the front.
