A British think tank says Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces is advancing slowly. The analysts also stressed the importance of continuing support for Ukraine next year.
The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies has released a report on Ukraine's counteroffensive launched in June.
It says that Ukraine's deliberately planned tactical actions enable its forces to take Russian positions with small numbers of casualties, but the approach is slow, with only some 700 to 1,200 meters of progress made every five days, allowing Russian forces to reset.
Regarding Russia, the report says its forces have continued to adapt their methods, pointing out that they have expanded the depth of minefields from the initial 120 meters to 500 meters to prevent any rapid breaching.
The report says Russia highly likely hopes the coming winter will force Ukraine to pause its offensive, and that Moscow will likely attempt to destroy energy and reticulation infrastructure across Ukraine.
The report concludes by saying it is important that Ukraine's international partners "invest now to give Ukraine protracted advantages." It warns that failing to do so "will come at a heavy price in 2024."