Experts from the Institute for the Study of War believe that during the battles for Sievierodonetsk, the Russian army may lose the last remnants of offensive potential. Because of this, the seizure of Donetsk oblast seems unlikely.
This is stated in the ISW report.
Currently, the Russian military is focused on capturing Sievierodonetsk and Lysychansk in order to take control of the entire Luhansk oblast and report on the victory. However, the further offensive of experts raises some doubts.
"Russian forces are obviously limited by the terrain in the Donbas and will continue to face problems in forcing the Siversky Donets River to complete the Sievierodonetsk-Lysychansk encirclement and move further west from the Lyman to Slovyansk via Raihorodok," analysts said.
They believe that the Russian military leadership continues to face significant problems, including the provision of the army and the low morale of the soldiers.