Since the Russian armed forces took control of the entire Luhansk region about a week ago, they have not managed to gain any significant territory.

After the capture of the cities of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that the soldiers involved should "rest".

Now the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) is actually an "operational pause" of the Russian armed forces.

Nicholas Zimmerman

Editor in Politics.

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The Russian military command apparently recognized the need for a break given the state of the Russian armed forces at this point in the campaign, the ISW described the situation over the weekend.

"The Russian forces that have completed the capture of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk clearly need to regenerate their fighting power and build support capabilities, including supplies, before launching another large-scale offensive operation."

Alleged large-scale attack on Sloviansk

At first glance, the thesis of an “operational pause” by the Russian forces hardly fits in with the recent events of the war.

She was also contradicted by the governor of the occupied Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajday, who wrote on Telegram that no "operational break" was observed.

The "enemy" is bombing "our country" with the same intensity as before.

According to local reports, at least 15 and possibly as many as 30 people were killed in a rocket attack on a block of flats in the town of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region on Saturday evening.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Sunday that up to a hundred Ukrainian soldiers were killed in an attack on the city of Sloviansk.

There is no confirmation from the Ukrainian side.

How do these continued Russian attacks square with the assessment of an "operational pause"?

The ISW contends that this does not mean that an army no longer carries out attacks.

"The main disadvantage of operational pauses is losing strategic or operational initiative."

The commanders can thus alternate the pauses between the units in order to ensure continuous pressure on the opponent through offensive combat actions of certain units while other units pause.

From a Russian perspective, there seems to be good reason to employ the Ukrainian defenders even if they don't gain territory themselves.

Since the beginning of July, reports of Ukrainian attacks on weapons depots in the Russian-controlled areas of the country have been mounting.

Over the weekend, the British Ministry of Defense announced that a first group of 10,000 volunteers from Ukraine had completed military exercises in Great Britain.

According to “Spiegel”, an ammunition supplier was found in Norway for the deliveries of the Gepard anti-aircraft tank promised by Germany.