The Institute for the Study of War quoted the head of the Estonian Defense Forces Intelligence Center Colonel Margo Grosberg who said on June 16 that “we won’t see an offensive (operation by Ukraine) over the next seven days.”
The Wall Street Journal similarly reported on June 17 that Ukrainian forces “have mostly paused their advances in recent days” as Ukrainian command reexamines tactics.
These reports are consistent with ISW’s recent observations of the scale and approach of localized Ukrainian counterattacks in southern and eastern Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials such as Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar confirmed that counteroffensive operations are ongoing. Soldiers from the 81st and 57th Brigades have told the Kyiv Independent that Ukrainian forces are on the move, slowly advancing on the Russian forces in Donetsk Oblast.
ISW has previously noted that Ukraine has not yet committed the majority of its available forces to counteroffensive operations and has not yet launched its main effort. “Operational pauses are a common feature of major offensive undertakings, and this pause does not signify the end of Ukraine’s counteroffensive,” the experts concluded.
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