The Ministry of Defense of russia and the General Staff of the russian army are calling on the Kremlin to conduct a new wave of mobilization to replenish the troops in Ukraine, which are suffering heavy losses due to regular assaults on the defense positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The Economist reported this with reference to unnamed European officials.
According to the interlocutor, who holds a high position in NATO, russia currently does not have sufficient forces for a massive offensive deep into Ukraine.
"If they had achieved a breakthrough, they would not have been able to take advantage of it <...> In the short term, the risk of russian troops moving west to Dnipro or Odesa is small," the publication quoted his words as saying.
Another interlocutor of the publication said that russian generals are putting pressure on the Kremlin, urging it to announce a new wave of mobilization.
As the publication writes, the russians continue to rely exclusively on crude tactics of conducting hostilities. It allows them to advance, but leads to massive losses.
The involvement of military personnel from North Korea, who, according to statements of Ukrainian intelligence, will be sent to the Kursk Oblast, demonstrates that russian forces are also experiencing difficulties.
A NATO representative told the publication that the Kremlin recruits about 30,000 people into the army every month. This is not enough to fulfill all the goals at the front, but it is quite enough to compensate for the losses, which have become particularly heavy in recent months.
At the same time, Ukrainian, American and European officials believe that, given the current trends, the turning point for Ukraine will come sooner.
According to Jack Watling, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the russians appear to be betting that they will be able to establish full control over the Donetsk Region as early as next year.
"It will be able to achieve its goals in Donbas next year and impose a sufficiently high level of losses and material damage on the Ukrainian military, so that they will no longer be able to prevent further advance," the publication quotes his words.
The expert believes that in this case, russia will gain leverage over any further negotiations on a ceasefire or the end of the war.
As Ukrainian News Agency reported, earlier this month analysts of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that the use of troops from North Korea would allow russia to delay the announcement of mobilization.
It will be recalled that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine announced that russia plans to fight against Ukraine at least until 2027. So much so that the budget of the russian federation includes payments to contractors.
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