Will “General Frost” help Russians in the war in Ukraine: expert’s assessment
Military expert Sergiy Grabsky assessed the readiness of the Russian army for combat operations in winter and told why the so-called “General Frost” will not help the occupiers in the war in Ukraine.
Thus, Grabskyi stressed that the situation near Bakhmut remains very difficult.
He noted that the enemy, despite the losses, is trying to break through in the direction of the city and flank it, breaking through in the area of Ozeryanivka and Kurdyumivka, thus creating preconditions for, as they think, the possibility of encircling Bakhmut and creating problems in the area of Toretsk, where our troops are also holding the defense.
– The losses suffered by the enemy are very significant. Therefore, we can say that the operational preferences that he receives, compared to the losses, are absolutely low. But the enemy is persistently advancing. Fighting continues, shelling continues, the situation continues to be very tense in this area,” the expert said.
He explained that the fact that the enemy has set a goal to break through to Bakhmut and take the city, leads to huge losses of the Russian army and desperate fighting in this direction.
However, according to Grabsky, Russians are poorly prepared for war in winter conditions.
– The legend of “General Frost” has always been just a legend of the Russian army. Because it also suffered from non-combat losses due to cold weather. In Donbas today, the Ukrainian army, which has been fighting for eight years continuously, and the soldiers who have been through numerous rotations and have experience of fighting in winter conditions, are objectively better equipped, – said the expert.
Grabsky added that our military also have problems, but the Russians have more of them.
– Therefore, the situation for the Russians will be quite difficult: without the ability to maneuver, without sufficient supplies that would ensure the continuation of hostilities in winter – they are in a more difficult position. In a week or two we will see what it will lead to,” he said.
The expert clarified that compared to the first waves of mobilized, the Russian Federation has carried out work, thanks to which new recruits are better prepared for combat operations. However, the readiness of the Russian army for operations in winter is out of the question. They are much less equipped and trained. However, they will be able to keep the defense.
As for the Russians’ ammunition, according to Grabsky, the Soviet reserves are huge, we are talking about tons, but the level of their combat readiness is different.
In addition, the intense fire that the occupiers are conducting on our positions leads to the wear of artillery barrels. This is a significant drawback, there is a need to replace, repair and restore the artillery park, which is limited.
– Russians did not prepare for this war, they do not have the ability to create modern mass production of ammunition, and they are using Soviet stocks. This affects the change in the intensity of hostilities,” the expert concluded.
