According to a report published on Saturday by the UK Foreign Office on the progress made by the Ukrainians and Russians in the war, there are increasing reports of Russian casualties as they withdraw.
“In some areas, Ukrainian forces probably made good progress and penetrated the front line of Russian defenses. In others, Ukrainian progress has been slower,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement.
“Russian performance has been mixed: some units are likely conducting credible defensive maneuver operations, while others have retreated in some disarray, amid mounting reports of Russian casualties as they withdraw from their minefields,” the ministry added.
The Russian air force has also been “unusually active” in southern Ukraine, the report said, but it remains “unclear” whether regular airstrikes in the region have been effective.
Undoubtedly, the Ukrainians face a defense line in southeastern Ukraine consisting of a complex of barbed wire, anti-tank obstacles and deadly minefields.
The Ukrainians do, however, utilize Remote Anti-Armor Munition (RAAM) which is a projectile that remotely scatters anti-tank mines away from a combat unit, quickly creating a minefield.
The US supplied Ukraine with more than 10,000 of them along with the 155mm howitzers that can fire them almost 11 miles. These artillery shells can be used to lay traps along escape routes for Russian front line forces.
