Russia appears to be seeking to optimize its troops for continued trench warfare in Ukraine - ISW

The Ministry of Defense of the aggressor country, russia, prefers to continue trench warfare in Ukraine instead of conducting mechanized maneuvers necessary for rapid and large-scale advancement on the front.

This is stated in the analysis of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in a summary for July 17.

Analysts cite statements by officials of the russian Ministry of Defense at a meeting on Friday. Russian Deputy Minister Andrei Belousov stated that the priority in the procurement of small motorized vehicles, such as motorcycles, buggies, all-terrain vehicles, and drones for assault troops. They claim that the russian occupation army trained 8,000 UAV operators in the first half of 2026 and allegedly doubled the supply of drones to the front.

ISW notes that the russian troops face administrative and training obstacles in recruiting drone operators and continue to experience a shortage of specialists amid declining mobilization rates, which contradicts the claims of Kremlin officials.

The statements of Belousov's deputies indicate that the russian defense ministry continues to prioritize positional warfare in Ukraine. It optimizes the army and supplies small vehicles and drones to the front, rather than tanks. This provides the occupation forces with a slow, exhausting advance instead of resuming rapid maneuver warfare, the analysis says.

According to ISW, russian forces are losing 1.6 square kilometers per day in July 2026 and will likely continue to struggle to achieve significant territorial advances as they have in recent months.