Kremlin forces are massing in eastern Ukraine for what appears to be a fresh assault ahead of Russian elections.
While Vladimir Putin is expected to win the far-from-fair elections, it’s also an opportunity for the despot to shore up support.
Now, 40,000 Russian soldiers and as many as 500 tanks have massed at the frontlines near Kupyansk in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Center for Defense Strategies explained: “The Russian Federation plans to seize the entire Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and part of Kharkiv Oblast up to the Oskil River by March 2024.”
Russian forces have been attacking along the frontlines in eastern Ukraine in force and have suffered tremendous casualties as part of their meat-grinder-style human wave assaults.
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It appears Russia – more specifically its leader – is looking for a victory ahead of the March 2024 elections, however, it’s unclear how likely a breakthrough is by either side.
Both Ukraine and Russia have dug in deep with extensive defences along the frontline. Around 20,000 Ukrainian troops are defending near Kupyansk along with hundreds of tanks and fighting vehicles.
While Russian numbers in the area dwarf Ukraine’s, fighting typically favours the defender and commanders are likely aware of Kupyansk’s importance as a gateway to Kharkiv – the second-largest city in Ukraine.
Russian forces previously occupied the area before Ukraine launched a stunning counteroffensive in autumn 2022 taking back huge swathes of territory.
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In addition to the numerical advantage, Russia can fire more artillery than Ukraine with Forbes reporting Kyiv has only been able to fire 2,000 shells to Russia’s 10,000 a day.
That disparity comes amid concerns around the US’s continuing aid to Ukraine after billions of dollars earmarked for Kyiv have been held up by a bitterly divided Congress.
In the meantime, Russia has been steadily gaining ground towards Kupyansk advancing along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line.
