JRL NEWSWATCH: “Russia’s improved weaponry and tactics pose challenges to Ukraine’s counteroffensive” – AP
“Ukrainian troops are probing Russian defenses … [in] a second summer of fighting … facing an enemy that has made mistakes and suffered setbacks …. But analysts say Moscow also has learned from those blunders and improved its weapons and skills. Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the … 600-mile[] front line, honed … electronic weapons to reduce Ukraine’s edge in combat drones, and turned heavy bombs from its massive Cold-War-era arsenal into precision-guided gliding munitions capable of striking targets without putting its warplanes at risk. … [C]hanging Russian tactics along with increased troop numbers and improved weaponry could make it challenging for Ukraine to score any kind of quick decisive victory … [rather than face] a long battle of attrition. …”
Some remaining Russian weaknesses include low morale, ammunition shortages and poor coordination between units.
Wagner Group mercenaries spearheaded the battle for Bakhmut, only for vicious infighting to break out between Wagner and the regular Russian military.
After suffering heavy losses of Russian aircraft earlier in the war, Russia has kept its air force from venturing extensively into Ukraine. Russia has failed to eliminate Ukrainian air defenses, now further bolstered by Western aid.