**Russia’s Ukraine Campaign: A Slow and Bloody Advance**
In a bizarre turn of events, Russia’s military has been making record-breaking drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, while simultaneously claiming territorial gains on the ground. However, these advances have come at a heavy cost in terms of lives lost and resources expended.
According to reports from the open-source DeepState monitoring website, Russian forces have seized over 556 square kilometers (215 square miles) of Ukrainian territory last month alone – an area roughly four times the size of Liverpool or nearly as large as Chicago. Russia’s ultimate goal is to create a buffer zone inside Ukraine’s northern borders by cutting off supply routes used by Ukrainian troops in the east.
However, despite this push, Russian forces are advancing at a snail’s pace. Military experts estimate that it would take over 70 years for them to capture the entire country at their current rate. Most of Russia’s attacks have been concentrated on three areas: the Sumy region, the eastern cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka, and a third front west of Pokrovsk.
**Fierce Resistance**
Russian troops managed to push about 10-12 kilometers (6-7.5 miles) deep inside the Sumy region but have since stalled due to fierce resistance from Ukrainian forces. Vladimir Putin’s aim is to create a buffer zone to protect Russian territory, following Ukraine’s capture of Kursk territory last summer.
However, military observers believe that these operations are aimed at forcing Ukraine to spread its forces too thin along the entire 1,200-kilometer long front line, diverting troops from key areas. One of those key areas is Pokrovsk, a strategic hub in eastern Ukraine where Moscow has been trying to capture for over two years.
**Creeping Offensive**
Russian troops rarely launch massive assaults and instead rely on small groups of infantry who relentlessly attack Ukrainian positions, often on foot or motorbikes. This “creeping offensive” aims to exhaust Kyiv’s resources until endless waves of Russian soldiers eventually push the Ukrainians out of their positions.
However, this comes at a staggering cost for Russia, with Ukraine’s general staff putting casualties at over 1,000 soldiers per day – figures that cannot be independently verified by the BBC but indicate heavy losses.
