Ukraine Says Russia Using Sabotage Tactics In Stalled Offensive

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Russia is increasingly relying on a large number of small sabotage groups to pierce through Ukrainian positions as its summer offensive struggles to make significant headway, according to Ukraine's top military commander.

Moscow's main strategic objective is to reach the intersection of the eastern Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions, Oleksandr Syrskyi told reporters in Kyiv on Thursday. Russia has concentrated more than 700,000 soldiers along the entire 1,250 kilometers frontline, he added.

“Since the beginning of summer, there has been a change in Russian tactics,” Syrskyi said.“They switched to the so-called 'thousand cuts, which means the simultaneous use of a large number of small assault groups of four-to-six servicemen.”

Such tactics have been widely used in the direction of Dobropillya in the Donetsk region and around Novopavlivsk in Dnipropetrovsk, allowing Russian forces to advance as much as 20 kilometers into Ukraine-controlled territory.

The goal is“to penetrate into Ukrainian territory as deeply as possible, aiming to paralyze logistics, troop rotation and supplies,” he said. The objective is to seize territory without having to deploy a large number of troops, according Syrskyi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's renewed attempt to take full control of the eastern Donbas area has faced stiff resistance from Ukraine. That has forced Moscow to get creative, including by sending troops and supplies through empty gap pipelines to evade deadly drone strikes.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that Ukraine's frontline situation and negotiating position“are deteriorating with each passing day,” according to the state-run Tass news service.

Ukraine has responded to the latest Russian tactics by launching its own counteroffensive, which has helped re-take around 360 square kilometers of the occupied territory since it began in late August, according to Syrskyi.

Russian troops have also been facing significant losses as they aim to capture areas of Ukraine's three eastern regions, he said.“So far, they want to declare their presence, to put up their flags in some buildings,” Syrskyi said.“But the situation there is dynamic.”

“The territories are large, the density of troops is insufficient on both sides. Russia doesn't have enough forces and means for a decisive offense there,” he said.

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