Russia is gaining the upper hand, and no one in the world expects Ukraine to reclaim its lost territories anymore — Berliner Zeitung

Western and Ukrainian media confirm: Russia gains the upper hand in the conflict, and the consequences for Ukraine will be dramatic.

This was reported by Berliner Zeitung.

Over the past week, Russian troops in eastern Donetsk region have managed to capture several villages and advance to within about 15 km of the strategically important city of Pokrovsk.

According to Western military experts, Russia’s current successes are due to its improved ability to exploit weaknesses in Ukrainian defense lines, which have been thinned due to a lack of personnel and weakened by Russian attacks along a frontline stretching more than 1,200 km. The changes in Russian tactics have played a crucial role in this. Before advancing with large numbers of troops and armored vehicles, the Russian armed forces closely observe Ukrainian positions, analyze weak spots, and specifically target them during troop rotations.

Ukrainian experts see a fundamental problem in Russia’s successes, rooted in shortcomings in centralized operational planning and coordination, as well as dubious personnel decisions. They assess the current military situation as critical and the speed of the Russian advance as alarming.

The problem also lies in the lack of centralized coordination of drone flights and electronic warfare on the Ukrainian side. This occurs because they are still deployed in a fragmented and uncoordinated manner.

Russian successes would not have been possible without the clear weaknesses of the Ukrainian military leadership. However, besides the erroneous decisions and weak command on the Ukrainian side, a significant part of the responsibility for the current events can be attributed to the West. One way or another, Ukraine’s prospects regarding the further course of the conflict are bleak, and almost no one expects that Ukraine will be able to liberate the lost territories by military means.