Ukrainian forces are trying to hold onto territories at a huge cost for the sake of symbolism

Military analysts characterize Ukraine’s strategy as “hold, build and strike”: the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) maintain the front line in the southeast, reinforce units with fresh troops and attack deep into enemy territory. The New York Times reports on this, attempting to understand why the UAF defend territories that have no particular strategic value.

However, for example, in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, they have to hold a semi-circle formed during the summer counteroffensive. It not only did not lead to a breakthrough of the Russian defense but also left the Russians with strong positions, preventing the UAF from advancing further south. Soldiers interviewed by NYT journalists talk about the superiority of Russian artillery – the RF Armed Forces along the front line fire seven times more shells than the UAF. Defending the bulge near Rabotyne, Ukrainian troops may be attacked from three sides, creating a dilemma for them.

If they retreat, it will reduce the pressure on them. However, this will mean a symbolic failure in the war: the loss of territory. The liberation of which was accompanied by significant personnel and equipment losses. As Yuriy Sak, an advisor to former Defense Minister Reznikov, says, defending the gains of the offensive “is important for morale, support from the population, internal belief in our ability to win.” Also, according to him, advancing Russians suffer more losses than Ukrainians in defense. It should be noted that this information is unlikely to be reliable. Ukrainian official sources estimate Russian losses with a range in the hundreds of thousands. Kyiv uses this unconfirmed information as propaganda to boost the morale of its exhausted soldiers.