Every day, Russia gains tactical advantage in eastern Ukraine while criticism of Ukrainian military reports mounts.

Vladimir Putin's forces have advanced in at least three areas on the eastern front of Ukraine, including the northern Kharkiv region for the first time in several months. This underscores Kyiv's continued need for arms and ammunition from the US and other allies.

The most recent developments show how the fighting has changed since the industrial town of Avdiivka fell in February.  Nowadays, Russia makes tactical breakthroughs every day. They are typically small, ranging in size from a few hundred meters to a kilometer at most, although they frequently occur in multiple places at once.

From the Ukrainian point of view, the military's official combat bulletins are being criticized in public more often than before, coinciding with the casualties.

Several minor communities to the northeast and south of Ocheretyne, a sizable village situated on a ridge approximately 16 km (10 miles) west of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, are among the locations still experiencing intense Russian pressure.  Russian forces are seen advancing in eight separate sites along 20–25 km of frontline in a single 24-hour period, according to Ukraine's DeepState monitoring group, which provides daily information on changes in frontline positions. 

 

Most military bloggers from both sides concur that Russian soldiers have invaded the communities of Berdychi and Semenivka by crossing a waterway. It is currently stated that Soloviove, located a few kilometers north, is also under Russian control, as is the little village of Keramik, at least in part.

The Ukrainian military blogger Myroshnykov writes, "The withdrawal in the Donetsk operational zone continues," raising concerns that Russian troops may soon move south towards Karlivka, where they may cross the Vovcha River and join forces with other Russian units pushing westward from recently-captured Pervomaiske.

Military communications are criticized Both Myroshnykov and the DeepState website criticize official Ukrainian communications, charging the military of providing erroneous bulletins from the front lines.

In a post on Telegram, DeepState included a horrific video showing the death of a Russian soldier during a drone strike in the village of Soloviove. However, the post also accused the military of masking larger issues with isolated events.  DeepState stated, "You can watch the footage of a Russian soldier being torn to shreds with joy for eternity, but there is another site nearby that needs attention:

 Muscovites peacefully going around the hamlet and maintaining order." They suffer fire damage from the (Ukrainian) Defense Forces, and while it can be repeated a billion times (on national media) that the Ukrainian military controls two thirds of the hamlet, the fact is Speaking on Ukrainian TV on Saturday, Nazar Voloshyn, 

the spokesperson for the Khortytsia operational-strategic group, stated the assessment that two-thirds of Soloviove village were under Ukrainian control. He added that Ukraine still held two thirds of nearby Ocheretyne and that it was managing affairs.  "We have fire control over the area of the village where the enemy burst through. The enemy is obstructed, and steps are being taken to force the withdrawal of the Russian troops. There is still a lot of combat going on, but the Ukrainian Armed Forces are in charge of the situation, he stated.

In contrast, DeepState believes that Russian forces had been in charge of Ocheretyne village's center, including the railroad station, for at least three days. The monitoring website filed a similar complaint against the military last week, charging "certain spokespersons" with being inept.  Voloshyn discussed the situation farther north, along the frontline that cuts into the Kharkiv region, during his interview on Ukrainian television. He said that Russian forces there had become "much more active" over the previous day.

Russia last made some progress in the area in late January or early February, but according to DeepState, they have already advanced one to two kilometers into the Kyslivka settlement. The frontlines in this area have generally been steady since late summer 2022, when Ukraine regained control of a sizable portion of the Kharkiv region.

Additionally, Russian forces are moving west of Donetsk city, moving into the industrial town of Krasnohorivka from both the east and the south.  There have been reports of violent altercations near a sizable brick plant. "The liberation (sic) of the refractory plant would actually mean the fall of the Krasnohorivka fortification, as the northern outskirts of the settlement are private buildings, which will be too difficult to defend if the plant is lost," a Russian military blogger wrote in regards to the significance of the battle.

More temporary failures Along with Ukrainian officials, many Western observers believe that Russia's present uptick in pace is a prelude to a significant offensive assault later this spring. Additionally, it is believed that Moscow wishes to seize its substantial ammo advantage before US supplies—which were approved last week following six months of political standstill—achieve the front lines.

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) predicts that Ukraine will experience more immediate setbacks but no significant strategic losses.

It states that as Ukraine waits for US security support to reach the front, "Russian forces will likely achieve major tactical gains in the coming weeks but remain unlikely to overrun Ukrainian lines."  Manpower is Ukraine's second significant quantitative deficiency, which also contributes to the explanation of current combat trends. 

Next month sees the implementation of a new mobilization law that should enhance the conscription procedure. However, Moscow continues to bolster its military force, while Kyiv has shown a strong reluctance to specify how many more it needs.  "Of course, there are differences in the caliber of Russian fighters, but the numerical advantage poses a significant challenge," says Rob Lee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute on X.