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The situation in the Ukrainian Conflict for the Russian Federation continues to be an unstable position, with the Russian Federation taking military troop losses. The Russian Federation is looking to recoup its military personal losses by declaring a decree and creating additional programs to increase the Russian Federation's Military personnel from 137,000 thousand to 1.15 million. The so-called "Special Operation" in Ukrainian drags on into its seventh month; with heavy military personnel loss for the Russian Federation, this loss is estimated by the U.S. Department of Defense to be around 60,000 to 80,000 military personnel lost or unable to fight. It is speculated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) that The Russian Federation was already struggling to meet its recruitment and enlistment goal for military personnel before the Ukraine conflict started, on February 24, 2022. The DOD has also said that it is possible that the Russian Federation Might be behind in recruitment goals by 150,000 to meet the planned 1.15 million. Russian Leadership has been trying to fill at least one volunteer battalion per federal district. Many of the new recruits are deemed as being ill-trained or older than would be normally accepted. Less capable or unfit military personnel being recruited is causing the Russian military to suffer with a lot fewer effective battalions and divisions. The poor pool of available recruits is proving difficult for the Russian military to supplement losses within already formed battalions, as organizing and coordination are greatly decreased, causing large-scale operations to be much less effective. The Russian military has a great deal of artillery that is very effective when coordinated well by trained spotters. The Russian military has lost a great deal of its well-trained troops which is leading to ineffective artillery and fewer combined arms operations. As the Russian Federation tries to rebuild its numbers and establish new and fresh combat units; the Ukrainian forces are just idly standing by. In the last few days, Ukrainian forces have gathered near the Kherson front, in what is believed by the U.S. Department Of Defense to be preparation for a large-scale counter-offensive by the Ukrainian military. The target of this possible Ukrainian counter-offensive is believed by the U.S. Department Of Defense to be the major city of Kherson which is currently under Russian occupation.
Over the last 48 hours, The Ukrainian counter-offensive is believed to have started with Reporting by CNN indicating that Ukrainian Forces have advanced most of the way towards Kherson however, other independent news sources on the ground are skeptical of CNN's claim, with the idea that Ukrainian forces have only advanced a mile or less with the believed liberation of the towns of Novodmytrivka, Arkhanhel's'ke, and Pravdyne. If the claims are true that Ukrainian forces have liberated the town of Taormina Balka, then in contrast Ukrainian Force would be within striking distance of Kharkiv the 2nd largest city in Ukrainian. The liberation of Kharkiv would be of great strategic value and might allow for Ukraine forces to cut off Russian Military battalions to the North.
With the Ukrainian Counter-offensive Targeting Kharkiv, the Russian Federation will be forced to concentrate more military assets, and more importantly more military personnel. The Russian military would be drawing Military Personnel that are less trained and less capable of defending Kharkiv and the surrounding captured regions.
Jarin Clapp is a senior with Poudre High School Press, he is the writer of Operation Copper Rain
Works Cited
Axe, David. “Confusion Deepens As The Ukrainian Army Rolls South Toward Kherson.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 31 Aug. 2022, www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2022/08/31/confusion-deepens-as-the-ukrainian-army-rolls-south-toward-kherson/?sh=6cb1c4871ac3.
Kolirin, Lianne. “August 31, 2022 Russia-Ukraine News.” CNN, Cable News Network, 31 Aug. 2022, www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-08-31-22/h_d6a4e7141126cfff94fc49e8c504c526.
Person. “Interactive Map: Russia's Invasion of Ukraine.” ArcGIS StoryMaps, Esri, 1 Sept. 2022, storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/36a7f6a6f5a9448496de641cf64bd375.
“Russian Efforts to Raise Numbers of Troops 'Unlikely to Succeed,' U.S. Official Says.” U.S. Department of Defense, www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3143381/russian-efforts-to-raise-numbers-of-troops-unlikely-to-succeed-us-official-says/.
“Vladimir Putin Signs Decree to Increase Size of Russian Armed Forces.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 25 Aug. 2022, www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/25/vladimir-putin-signs-decree-increase-size-russian-armed-forces-ukraine.