Putin army gains ground in Ukraine but hit by high casualties and shortage of officers, says UK

Vladimir Putin’s army is gaining ground in Ukraine but is being hit by high casualties and a shortage of officers, say British defence chiefs.

They also warned that Russian forces are likely to seize more territory in coming weeks.

In its latest intelligence update, the Ministry of Defence in London said: “In July 2024, Russian Ground Forces (RGF) maintained continuous attacks in central Donetsk Oblast (province).

“The RGF made steady advances westwards, taking control of several villages and moving closer to the logistics hub of Pokrovsk.

“The RGF also made advances northwards into the town of Niu York, which has been on the frontline since 2014. The town is almost certainly contested between the RGF and Ukrainian Armed Forces.”

The briefing added: “It is likely that Russia will continue to make tactical advances in the coming weeks.

“However, its overall operational capability remains limited by several factors including a high attrition rate, limited training, and a shortage of officers.”

Putin may be seizing more land but at a cost of hundreds of thousands of Russian soldiers killed or wounded as he attempts to capture four regions of eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian forces are also suffering heavy casualties, with tens of thousands of civilians also killed and injured in Putin’s war launched in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday he had travelled to the frontline area of Vovchansk in the northeastern Kharkiv region near the Russian border, where Moscow’s forces have been trying to break through.

Russian troops opened a new front in the north of the region in May, rapidly making inroads up to six miles.

Ukraine’s military later halted the offensive, one of the main thrusts of which had pushed towards the town of Vovchansk.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed in recent days that it had taken control of two villages about 20 miles northwest of Avdiivka, a Donetsk city that the Russian army seized in February after a long battle.

That victory was the Kremlin’s last major triumph in the war that is now in its third year.

Russia’s onslaught, fuelled by its heavy advantage in soldiers and weaponry, has repeatedly forced the Ukrainians to pull back from defensive positions to avoid being captured or killed.

Meanwhile, Russia’s navy began planned exercises involving most of its fleet in the Arctic and Pacific oceans as well and the Baltic and Caspian seas, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

The Russian drills, which include 20,000 personnel and 300 ships, will test the readiness and capabilities of the navy at all levels, the ministry said.

British defence chiefs say that more than 20 Russian ships have been hit by Ukrainian attacks, forcing the Black Sea Fleet to retreat from annexed Crimea.