Adverse weather conditions continue to slow down combat operations by both the Defense Forces and the occupiers.
Source: report Institute for the Study of War (ISW) December 2
Details: As analysts note, bad weather conditions continue to slow down the pace of Ukrainian and Russian military operations along the entire front line, but do not stop them completely.
The representative of the command of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Fityo, said that Russian troops actively use aviation in the Bakhmut direction when the weather permits.
He added that the weather does not significantly affect Russian artillery fire in the Bakhmut direction.
In addition, Russian military bloggers claimed on December 1 that strong winds near Bakhmut and in the western Zaporozhye region prevented Russian troops from using drones and artillery over the past two days.
One of these bloggers argued that while light rain allows Russian troops to conduct aerial reconnaissance near Verbovoye (9 km east of Robotino), the muddy terrain makes it difficult for infantry and wheeled vehicles to advance in the western Zaporozhye region.
He added that Russian troops can only move on tracked vehicles, and Ukrainian troops continue intense artillery fire despite bad weather conditions in the western Zaporozhye region.
On December 2, an accomplice of the occupiers in the Zaporozhye region, Vladimir Rogov, showed footage showing roads in a swamp on the Robotino-Novoprokopovka-Verbovo line in the west of the Zaporozhye region, and stated that these conditions have practically immobilized Ukrainian wheeled vehicles, forcing the Defense Forces to carry out attacks only with infantry.
Additional footage from Rogov shows an infestation of rats and mice in a Ukrainian trench in the Zaporozhye region, which he says is a consequence of the cold weather in the region.
ISW Key Findings for December 2:
Bad weather conditions continue to slow the pace of Ukrainian and Russian fighting along the entire front line, but do not stop it completely. On the night of December 1 to 2, Russian troops launched another series of Shahed and missile attacks on southern Ukraine. Representatives from Ukraine and the IAEA reported that the Zaporizhia NPP was completely cut off from all external power sources for five and a half hours on the night of December 1-2, the eighth complete shutdown of the plant – all of which occurred during the Russian occupation. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed sanctions on three third parties involved in transporting Russian oil at prices higher than those set by the G7. The Russian Ministry of Defense has signaled that it likely intends to continue to rely on covert conscription mobilization schemes for any potential increase in the size of the Russian army. The Kremlin’s policy regarding the role of migrants in strengthening Russia’s industrial potential remains inconsistent. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s November 30 threat against Moldova may have emboldened some pro-Russian figures to try to sow political instability and division in Moldova. Russian troops continued offensive operations on the Kupyansk-Svatovo-Kremennaya line, near Bakhmut, near Avdeevka, west of Donetsk, in the border zone of the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions, as well as in the west of the Zaporozhye region and advanced near Avdeevka. Ukrainian partisans reportedly carried out a guerrilla attack on Russian military personnel in occupied Melitopol, Zaporozhye region, on December 1.
2023-12-03 03:44:44
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