Russian forces are making “very costly” mistakes as on the first line of defense they have too much manpower and weaponry.
Analysts have told The Kyiv Independent that this is leaving their deeper lines weaker after building complex layers of defenses to hold back the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Analysts have said that Russia has placed too many resources on the first line and the complex layers consist of tank hedgehogs and minefields across hundreds of kilometers.
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Michael Kofman, a defense analyst and senior fellow at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the paper that the second line is now being breached by Ukrainian forces.
Russian forces have also been conducting counterattacks ahead of the first line, which has proven to be a “very costly strategy” as they have lost significant amounts of troops heavy weaponry, said Koffman.
Viktor Kivliuk, a retired Ukrainian colonel with the think tank Center for Defense Strategies, told the paper, “The defense was counting on the [Russians] being able to retreat.
“But if there is no one left to retreat from the first line, who will defend the second?”
He added, “The enemy has a lot of infantry but not enough equipment and IFVs and is forced to run around on their legs where maneuvers are concerned.
“They’re doing what commanders tell them, but their shortages prevent them from doing it correctly.”
