A Ukrainian soldier during combat training for the coming winter. Western officials have suggested that both Russia and Ukraine no longer have reserves to make a breakthrough after a bloody summer of fighting. AP
A Ukrainian soldier during combat training for the coming winter. Western officials have suggested that both Russia and Ukraine no longer have reserves to make a breakthrough after a bloody summer of fighting. AP
A Ukrainian soldier during combat training for the coming winter. Western officials have suggested that both Russia and Ukraine no longer have reserves to make a breakthrough after a bloody summer of fighting. AP
A Ukrainian soldier during combat training for the coming winter. Western officials have suggested that both Russia and Ukraine no longer have reserves to make a breakthrough after a bloody summer of

Ukraine lacks reserves to exploit breakthrough


Thomas Harding
  • English
  • Arabic

Ukraine and Russia both “lack the reserves” for a major breakthrough on the battlefield after a bloody summer of fighting, western officials have disclosed, as the campaign reaches a winter turning point.

The Russians have suffered up to 400,000 casualties with about a third of them killed. They are registering up to 1,000 casualties a day during their current offensive around the strategically important eastern Ukrainian town of Avdiivka.

However, there is some hope of a breakthrough for the Ukrainians, with elements of three brigades getting across the Dnipro River in the southern part of the country to form a bridgehead 4km deep, the sources said.

There had been high hopes of a Ukraine breakthrough when their counter-offensive began in June, with Kyiv’s troops using western-supplied armour and artillery.

However there has been a brutal war of attrition the past five months, with the Ukrainians making incremental advances, their biggest only 17km deep.

“You can see breakthroughs but it's being able to exploit those breakthroughs, which both sides will struggle with because of a lack of reserves and the fact that their forces are stretched up and down the line,” a western official told a media briefing and added that “we are in for a long war”.

“There's no doubt that there is some weariness,” he said. “There's a lot of tired people out there, including the Ukrainians, but they have achieved a significant amount and are still going forwards in places.”

Ukrainian infantrymen train with French soldiers in France as the war approaches its second winter. AP
Ukrainian infantrymen train with French soldiers in France as the war approaches its second winter. AP

One of those places could potentially be across the wide waters of the Dnipro River which had initially been impassable in early June when the dam upriver was allegedly blown up by the Russians.

While the Ukrainians have made several forays across the river over the summer, in the past week, they have been able to get “elements of three brigades” across, along with some armoured vehicles.

“They are now four kilometres away from the river, which gives them a significant foothold,” the official told The National. “The fact that the Russians are unable to push them back from there is encouraging.”

As the area is close to the city of Kherson, the most direct route to occupied Crimea, the Ukrainians would take the opportunity to push their advantage, “but I can’t say more than that”, he added.

While Ukraine’s military commander-in-chief said earlier this month that the war was a “stalemate”, the western official considered it had “paused rather than stalemated”.

“On the Ukrainian offensive, we can see movement on the battlefield, but it's not necessarily as fast as we wanted to see.”

Both sides will continue offensives over the winter and into spring with a potential major summer offensive next year, he added.

Five personal finance podcasts from The National

 

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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies 

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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?  

Who are the Soroptimists?

The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.

The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.

Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

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UAE

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Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

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Singapore

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MATCH INFO

Group B

Bayern Munich v Tottenham, midnight (Thursday)

The biogs

Name: Zinah Madi

Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and links

Nationality: Syrian

Family: Married, Mother of Tala, 18, Sharif, 14, Kareem, 2

Favourite Quote: “There is only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”

 

Name: Razan Nabulsi

Occupation: Co-founder of Dots and Links

Nationality: Jordanian

Family: Married, Mother of Yahya, 3.5

Favourite Quote: A Chinese proverb that says: “Be not afraid of moving slowly, be afraid only of standing still.”

The biog

Name: Samar Frost

Born: Abu Dhabi

Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends

Favourite singer: Adele

Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten

Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a  month before Reaching the Last Mile.

Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae

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FIXTURES

December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm

December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm

December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm

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Updated: November 16, 2023, 5:48 PM`