
The Ukrainians are also stymied in what they are trying to do by a lack of more modern weapons systems. If and when they get through that there are much more serious propositions ahead of them. They are currently battering away at what we might call the “outpost line”. They have established at least three lines of defence stretching tens of kilometres in depth, and the UkrAF have not even reached their enemy’s main defence line yet. Thanks to the weather in early spring and the West’s reticence in supplying arms to Ukraine, the Russians have had plenty of time to prepare these defences, and they are good at it.

We should not be too surprised, though, because such losses are bound to be incurred when attacking prepared defences.
