Military expert Ivan Kyrychevskyi from Defense Express expressed this opinion during a television marathon, commenting on certain advances by Russians in the Donbas.
He emphasized that everything happening in eastern Ukraine should be viewed strictly from a strategic perspective.
"We are currently in an unfavorable geopolitical period, where everyone seems to feel the need to dictate their will to us and push for agreements or negotiations with the Russians on terms unfavorable to us. What happens on the battlefield is often considered as accumulating 'arguments' for positions. Looking ahead, on the one hand, it is indeed challenging for our military because the Russians are scaling up their attacks at certain important points, which is undoubtedly a difficult emotional moment. The fact that the enemy is occupying certain territories is also a challenging emotional moment. But looking further, until April 2024, we were without regular military aid from the United States for six months. Such a lag in resources may take at least six months to catch up," Kyrychevskyi noted.
According to him, it is necessary to be mentally prepared for the possibility that there may still be reports of Russian advances in certain areas until at least October.
Kyrychevskyi noted that the Russian forces are currently trying to advance on very challenging points, particularly to break through to the route between Pokrovsk and Konstantynivka.
"This route is crucial for maintaining our defense and, in theory, if the Russians manage to at least take it under fire control, it would complicate our operations. If they manage to physically occupy it, they might attempt to advance towards these two cities. On the other hand, considering the heavy losses the Russians are suffering there, it seems unrealistic that they could actually reach the route," Kyrychevskyi commented.
Therefore, according to him, despite the potentially grim news from colleagues at DeepState, the Russians are still as far from their intermediate strategic goal in this war—occupying all of Donbas—as they were in May 2022.
"And that is the most important point to note. Because despite the negative news we might hear on a tactical level, it is important to understand that on a strategic level, the advantage still lies with us. Despite all the internal issues and resource shortages, our forces are successfully carrying out their tasks on the eastern front, not just in holding specific geographical lines but in maintaining a situation where the Kremlin cannot dictate the terms of this war. That’s what matters most," emphasized Kyrychevskyi.
