The main direction of the Russian army remains the Sievierodonetsk-Lysychansk zone, but a week of heavy shelling shows that Russia is now trying to gain momentum in the Izyum direction.
This is stated in the summary of British intelligence as of the morning of June 27.
Ukrainian forces continue to maintain defenses in this area, making effective use of its wooded area.
In addition, British intelligence said that in the coming weeks, the Russian campaign is likely to increasingly rely on echelons of reserve forces. They consist of several separate components, which Russia has almost certainly already begun to deploy:
- The Russian Armed Forces Reserve is a recent innovation consisting of part-time volunteer reservists who are deployed as whole units, usually designed to perform rear guard tasks.
- The human mobilization resource is a significant reserve for all veterans who have served in the regular armed forces over the past five years. The Russian authorities are likely to use volunteers in this category to recruit third battalions as part of regular brigades.
However, despite the constant shortage of reservists ready for deployment, the Russian leadership is still reluctant to order a general mobilization.