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    Berletic: West Surges Ammunition Ahead of Ukraine's All-Or-Nothing Offensive Archived Message

    Posted by sashimi on March 22, 2023, 6:32 pm

    Update on Russian military operations in Ukraine for March 23, 2023:

    * Russian forces continue encircling the fortified cities of Bakhmut and now
    Avdeevka, two major points along Ukraine's defense line in the Donbass;

    * Ukraine is gearing up for its upcoming offensive, carrying out drone strikes
    on Crimea and reconnaissance by force along the line of contact in Zaporozhye;

    * the stated goal of Ukraine according to Western reports is to cut the
    land-bridge between Crimea and the rest of Russia, though that would hardly
    isolate Crimea entirely;

    * Ukraine would suffer immense losses, just as they did during the Kharkov
    /Kherson offensives last year, with the addition of many more Russian troops
    and extensive defensive works created months in advance;

    * The US and EU are surging remaining stockpiles of artillery ammunition to
    Ukraine ahead of the offensive to sustain 2-4 months of intense fighting. Once
    depleted it will take years for the West to restore these stockpiles;

    * Russian shell production appears to have exceeded Western output as early as
    2014-2015 and has continuously increased since meaning Russia's ability to
    regenerate combat power exceeds the West's at this moment;

    * Ukraine's upcoming offensive should not be underestimated nor the prospects of
    a breakthrough, Russian forces have repeatedly demonstrated a preference for
    withdrawing over being encircled or suffering heavy casualties as part of its
    attrition strategy;



    Message Thread:

    • Berletic: West Surges Ammunition Ahead of Ukraine's All-Or-Nothing Offensive - sashimi March 22, 2023, 6:32 pm