The offensive of the Armed Forces in Bakhmut is close to the climax, "Wagnerivka" is exhausted - isw

The Russian forces will have to stop offensive actions, they will take a defensive position or take an operational pause, experts are confident. Analysts have seen several evidence of such events. First of all, they are unobstructed visits to the leading positions in Bakhmut high -ranking officials.

The head of the General Board of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kirill Budanov was in Bakhmut on December 27-28, not less than 600 meters from the leading position of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the report said. "The visit of Budanova confirms previous reports of the successful counter -attack of the Armed Forces on December 21, which rejected the Russian forces from the outskirts of Bakhmut.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also in Bakhmut on December 20," the institute said. The invaders, according to experts, can make bakhmut ineffective storms in small groups from 10 to 15 servicemen. ISW noted that the Airborne Troops (Air Force) of the Russian Federation strengthened the assistance of mercenaries in the Wagner group. It goes against the information campaign of fighters, who claimed that only they were fighting in Bakhmut.

Sending to Bakhmut reinforcements of the Airborne shows the exhaustion of the "Wagner". They increasingly need reinforcements in the form of traditional Russian military forces, they noted at the institute. "The high level of exhaustion of the Bakhmut forces can accelerate the culmination if the Russian command does not send more regular military units there," the report said.

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation may be preparing for decisive action in the Luhansk region, but it is still unclear whether they will go to defense or offensive. Analysts noticed the accumulation of military equipment and forces in Lugansk. A group of Air Force, which was located in the Kherson region, was thrown into the region. The main military force in the Luhansk region is the 144th Motorized Rifle Division of the Russian Federation, added to the institute.

"The Russians use artillery with thermobaric ammunition in the Luhansk region, which can testify to the priority of operations in the area," experts stressed. For several months, the invaders erected field fortifications and wide trenches to maintain decisive action on the outskirts of the Luhansk region, the report said. The likelihood of a new offensive of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the Zaporozhye region in winter, according to ISW, is extremely low.

The invaders can strengthen the defense to protect against the onset of the Armed Forces. "The recent efforts of Russian miners in the Zaporozhye region and on the Dnieper coast indicate that Russian troops do not seek an offensive there," experts summed up. Recall that the speaker of the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces Sergey Cherevy spoke on the pull -up of the reserves of the Russians to Bakhmut on December 28. The military believes that it is premature to talk about slowing down the city.

On December 27, Deputy Minister of Defense Anna Malyar spoke about the task of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation to enter the administrative border of Donetsk region by the end of this year. They concentrated the largest amount of military equipment and weapons near Bakhmut. On December 25, the Ministry of Defense of Germany, according to the media, did not reject the possibility of another offensive of Russian troops in April 2023.