Russia's advance bogged down: Here's how Ukraine blocks onslaught
Photo: Ukrainian forces have slowed the Russian army's advance (Vitalii Nosak, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukrainian Defense Forces have slowed the Russian army’s advance thanks to two key factors: rising casualties among enemy personnel and the widespread use of drones deep within Russian defensive lines, high-ranking sources tell RBC-Ukraine.
Russia's tactics on the front remain the same as before: infiltration by small groups, buildup, and then an assault. Despite this, two factors have contributed to slowing the advance.
Russian casualties and a shortage of conscripts
The first factor is that the Ukrainian Defense Forces have begun to eliminate more Russians on the front lines, bringing their losses to 35,000 per month (killed and seriously wounded).
Of these, about 60–62% are irreplaceable losses. In fact, the current recruitment of contract soldiers barely covers Russia's current losses.
Drones and death zone
The second key change in recent months is that the Ukrainian military has significantly increased its use of drones.
On the one hand, this has allowed conventional military units to more successfully repel Russian assaults along the front line: drones patrol the sky, detect Russian movements, and strike targets even as they approach Ukrainian positions.
On the other hand, the widespread use of drones by both sides has effectively expanded the death zone, the strip of territory under active fire.
Due to the constant threat of strikes, the Russian command was forced to move a significant portion of its logistics, personnel, and certain command elements 20–40 kilometers away from the line of contact.
About four months ago, Ukraine began systematically targeting this zone from the Russian side, the operational depth that lies between the immediate front line and the enemy’s strategic rear.
Ukrainian medium-range strike drones have begun to target an increasing number of enemy logistics routes, command posts, airfields, fuel and ammunition depots, troop concentrations, drone operators, and military equipment.
Since the beginning of this year, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have begun to deploy more advanced systems on a massive scale, Hornet drones from the American company founded by the former CEO of Google, as well as their Ukrainian and German counterparts.
Just a year ago, such drones were reserved for strikes against large and high-value Russian targets. Now there are so many of them that even individual military trucks, fuel tankers, and support vehicles are coming under attack.
Hundreds of strikes by Ukrainian drones have also been recorded in the Horlivka area and along the Donetsk–Mariupol–Crimea road (H-20 and M-14)—the land corridor to the occupied peninsula.
What's next
While Ukrainian strikes on the enemy’s rear have not yet led to a breakthrough on the front lines, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Russian army to amass personnel for large-scale operations and maintain uninterrupted logistics.
If the Ukrainian Defense Forces maintain this trend and gain air superiority near the line of contact, this could prompt the Russians to reconsider their ambitions and plans on the front.
However, Russia is not standing still and is seeking to implement similar technological solutions.
Last month, Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov reported that 35,203 Russian soldiers had been killed or seriously wounded on the front lines. For the fifth consecutive month, Russia has lost more soldiers than it can mobilize.
According to Politico, the Russian army is suffering heavy losses while making minimal progress.
Ukraine is also actively developing other areas of drone technology, in particular, the Octopus, an AI-powered drone designed to intercept suicide drones, which is now also being manufactured in the United Kingdom.
