The Russian army is preparing for a new offensive on Vugledar, where it has already suffered heavy losses. And this time there are not enough resources for a breakthrough.
The British Ministry of Defense reported this on Twitter.
As noted in the summary, for the past 48 hours fierce fighting has continued in the Bakhmut area, where Ukrainian forces are keeping supply routes open to the west, despite the gradual encirclement by Russia over the past six weeks.
To the south, in the Donetsk region, the city of Vugledar was again heavily shelled. According to British intelligence, there is a real possibility that Russia is preparing for further offensives in the area, despite costly failed attacks in early February and late 2022.
The Russian Eastern Group of Forces is probably responsible for the Ugledar operation. Its commander, Colonel General Rustam Muradov, is likely to be under intense pressure to improve its performance after heavy criticism from the Russian nationalist community following previous failures.
"However, it is unlikely that Muradov has the striking power capable of achieving a breakthrough," the British Ministry of Defense notes.
British intelligence had previously reported that the elite 1155th and 40th Marine Brigades had suffered very heavy casualties at Coogledar and were likely ineffective in combat.