Russian war strategy shifts

A top Russian general said on Friday the first stage of a military strategy to reduce Ukrainian army combat potential has “generally been accomplished.” Troops will now move on to their “main goal — the liberation of Donbas,” repeating the claim that the invasion is meant to rescue Ukrainians in the region where Russian-backed separatists have been fighting for control since 2014. The ground offensive against the capital city Kyiv appears to be on hold. Kherson, the first major city to fall under Russian control, is now under heavy fighting as Ukrainian troops attempt to take it back.

Why the shift? According to a U.S. defense official, Russia has lost about 10 percent of its combat force in Ukraine. NATO estimates between 7,000 and 15,000 Russian soldiers have died so far. Another U.S. defense official said Russia might be pulling reinforcements from combat-ready troops stationed in Georgia. U.S. intelligence indicates that Russia’s supply chains to the battlefronts are broken. Many Russians are getting frostbite from lack of warm clothing, making it difficult to keep up sieges and bomb-from-afar tactics. Delegates from both sides will meet again this week for talks in Turkey.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s report in WORLD Magazine about Christians in Poland and the Czech Republic welcoming Ukrainian refugees.