Russian operational planners struggle with deciding which threats to prioritise countering on front – UK intel

The relevant statement was made by the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom on Twitter, referring to the latest Defence Intelligence update, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As of February 7, 2023, open source imagery indicated Russia had likely further bolstered defensive fortifications in central Zaporizhzhia region, southern Ukraine, particularly near the village of Tarasivka. As of January 8, 2023, Russia had established defensive fortifications between the towns of Vasilyvka and Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region.

According to the UK intelligence, despite the current operational focus on central Donbas, Russia remains concerned about guarding the extremities of its extended front line.

This is demonstrated by continued construction of defensive fortifications in Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions and deployments of personnel. Russia’s front line in Ukraine amounts to approximately 1,288 kilometres with the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia oblast frontline at 192 kilometres.

“A major Ukrainian breakthrough in Zaporizhzhia would seriously challenge the viability of Russia’s ‘land bridge’ linking Russia’s Rostov region and Crimea; Ukrainian success in Luhansk would further undermine Russia’s professed war aim of ‘liberating’ the Donbas. Deciding which of these threats to prioritise countering is likely one of the central dilemmas for Russian operational planners,” the UK intelligence noted.

A reminder that, according to the UK intelligence, over the past two weeks, Russia has likely suffered its highest rate of casualties since the first week of the invasion of Ukraine. The uptick in Russian casualties is likely due to a range of factors including lack of trained personnel, coordination, and resources across the front.

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