Razumkov Centre: From War to Peace and Recovery. Analytical Assessments

2023-07-31 | Expert publications, Reconstruction

1. NATIONAL SECURITY AND DEFENCE: KEY DEVELOPMENTS, PROCESSES, TREND

Two months into extensive hostilities resulted in some tactical changes to the conditional <front lines, with no operational success to either side, at least for now. The Ukrainian defence forces conducted active offensive operations mainly on the Berdiansk and Melitopol directions and around Bakhmut. The enemy, along with active defensive actions, tried to regain the initiative and launch its own offensive towards Lyman and Kupiansk, as well as near Avdiyivka and Maryinka.

The absence of visible progress on the battlefield fuelled a wave of pessimistic forecasts in the world media about the prospects of Ukraine’s offensive, including official statements and calls to shift to political and diplomatic measures of conflict resolution. In order to force Kyiv to negotiate on its terms, the Kremlin has noticeably intensified its own propaganda campaign targeting external audiences and increased the intensity of terrorist attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

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