VIENNA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2023) The first stage of the advertised Ukrainian offensive has failed, as the country's armed forces have been acting according to a US playbook and the Russian military was well prepared for it, Austrian Colonel Markus Reisner said Tuesday.
"The first stage of the Ukrainian offensive, in my opinion, has failed. Attempts to advance, as they are described in textbooks of the US military, were made... Later Ukrainians realized that Russians are too well prepared for such an attempt to succeed," Reisner said in an interview with the German broadcaster NTV.
Kiev was currently trying to change its tactics and correct mistakes made, he noted. However, the offensive is still staggering on and is accompanied by high casualties, the military official said.
This is due to the Russian forces performing more effectively than they were at the beginning of the special military operation, Reisner explained. Besides, the number of Russian troops involved has also increased, he added.
Commenting on the state of the Ukrainian forces and their prospects in the eastern part of the country, the colonel said that the bulk of the troops was concentrated in the southern parts, while eastern groups were weakened.
"The southern direction, where the offensive was planned, was reinforced stronger than the eastern. Besides, forces located in the east of Ukraine, for example, around Bakhmut, are still weakened by the battles of past months," Reisner told NTV.
The Austrian believes that the situation around Antonovka Road Bridge close to the city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast has also deteriorated for Kiev.
Ukraine launched its long-advertised "counteroffensive" in early June after multiple postponements. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian troops continue to try but are failing to advance along three directions: South Donetsk, Bakhmut and Zaporizhzhia, the latter being of Primary focus.
