The breakthrough of the Ukrainian army surprised the Russians, but for a few days, it is the “black-out”. Ukrainian communication on the advance or retreat of troops from kyiv is at a standstill. According Cedric Mas, military historian, observer of the conflict and president of the Action Résilience institute, the army ordered “a complete blackout on its operations”, including the victories. “Ukraine manages to maintain this operational security, a remarkable silence in communication given the number of men it hires”, underlines Isabelle Dufour, director of strategic studies at Eurocrise, interviewed by 20 minutes.
A media withdrawal which is normal after a successful counter-offensive. “They are forced to take an operational break because it is a great moment in military logistics,” she adds. But Michel Goya, a former naval colonel, historian and strategist, is confident and thinks that while operations have slowed down, “they will certainly resume all to the north and all to the south of the country, there will be fighting again in a few days,” he explains to 20 minutes.
For its part, the Russian army ensures that it is fortifying its new front in the Northeast. She is preparing better because she is less surprised by the Ukrainian advance and is rebuilding her stocks. But the fighting should still stretch over several weeks or even months. Especially “as we do not know how far the Ukrainian army wants to go, whether it intends to take back Crimea or not”, warns Isabelle Dufour. An increasingly realistic goal for kyiv.