Ukraine's difficult counterattack, Russia sends 700,000 troops to the front

President Putin announced that more than 700,000 Russian troops are participating in a special military operation, while Ukraine is persistently counter-attacking before winter.

Russian news agency TASS on September 23 quoted Mr. Dmitry Rogozin, a member of the Russian Federation Council, declaring that the Ukrainian and Russian armies have achieved a balance in forces and weapons, making it almost impossible to advance on the front; any heavy weapons within a range of 20 km from the front line are destroyed.

“Basically, the whole war takes place at a tactical level. It is a strike group of 3-5 people, crossing the steppe, which is completely mined, with UAVs flying overhead from all directions. With all this, it is impossible to get up from a chair, let alone attack,” Rogozin pointed out.

He cited the situation in the Kherson region as a clear example, where, in addition to the factors listed above, the Dnieper River is an obstacle to offensive operations by the Russian Armed Forces (RFAF). According to him, crossing the river is currently impossible.

It is worth noting that, despite all the factors that Mr. Rogozin has mentioned, the RFAF continues to advance in some frontline areas. Besides the attack on Pokrovsk, Konstantinovka and Kupyansk, the RFAF is currently achieving its greatest successes in the Dnipropetrovsk region, where the Ukrainian army (AFU) lacks well-prepared defensive positions.

Meanwhile, while Ukraine continues its counter-offensive and claims to have retaken some villages in the east, it still faces significant challenges. Concentrated Russian attacks on railways and bridges have significantly increased the difficulty of supplying the Ukrainian front. While Western aid continues to flow, the efficiency of transport limits its ability to completely fill the gaps on the battlefield.

General Syrsky, Commander-in-Chief of the AFU, replaced local commanders several times in September in an attempt to stabilize the fighting situation through personnel adjustments. However, from the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka front to Kupyansk, the situation remained essentially unchanged.

However, the AFU still stubbornly resisted the RFAF attacks, but the price of the war of attrition was mounting, and domestic public opinion was also facing a test of its ability to endure a protracted war.

However, the AFU also quickly launched retaliatory attacks deep into Russian territory. According to the Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian military intelligence planned and carried out long-range attacks on Russian energy facilities, targeting oil refineries and fuel transfer facilities in Samara and Saratov.

Several explosions and fires occurred, including one at the Samara refinery's oil storage area. The fire raged until the morning of September 21 before it was extinguished. The Crimean Bridge was closed to traffic in the early hours of September 23 as Ukrainian forces launched a massive offensive into several Russian regions.

Ukraine has not officially acknowledged the attack, but Russian media, citing emergency services sources, reported that the explosion was suspected to have been caused by a “long-range airstrike.” The two days of cross-border attacks suggest that the conflict has once again spread deep into the logistical heartlands of both sides.

As fighting escalated again, the Kremlin released a remarkable transcript of the meeting. On September 20, at a meeting with the leaders of the five main parties in the State Duma, President Putin made a clear statement: "The RFAF has now deployed more than 700,000 troops for special military operations."

This is the first time the Russian president has personally confirmed this figure, and the outside world has interpreted it as Russia's tacit acceptance of the protracted nature of the war. President Putin's statement is not only a military deterrent against Ukraine, but also a psychological warfare move.

President Putin's statement at this point implies that Russia is capable of maintaining an offensive posture for a long time and that even if Ukraine receives foreign aid, it will still face challenges that are disproportionate in scale and consumption.

Russia has always kept its troop numbers absolutely secret, but President Putin's public statement is seen as a signal that Russia possesses enough fighting power and is on the path to victory; at the same time, it also reveals its strategic intentions to the outside world.

Analysts point out that this large-scale troop increase will not be a one-time effort, but a gradual expansion process over the 2024-2025 period, including regular troops, reserves, volunteer forces and special forces.

Notably, President Putin also mentioned in his speech that “post-war resettlement plans have been drawn up,” including troop rotation, infrastructure management, and a temporary administrative structure.

This remark by President Putin has given rise to speculation in foreign media that Moscow is paving the way for permanent control of the occupied territories of Ukraine, and may even intend to establish a form similar to the current one on the Korean peninsula. (photo source: Military Review, Kyiv Independent, TASS).

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