Russia announces an “operational pause” in Ukraine to restore its combat capacity

July 8. () –

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced on Thursday an “operational pause” for Russian troops in Ukraine to rest and restore their combat capabilities.

“The units that carried out combat missions during the ‘special military operation’ are taking steps to fill their combat capabilities. The military have the opportunity to relax, receive letters and packages from home,” Konashenkov detailed in a shared statement. by the Russian Defense Ministry.

The spokesman, however, has not specified the expected duration of the pause of the Russian troops in Ukraine or in which areas of the front it will take place.

For its part, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) of the United States has assured that the Russian forces have not ceased active hostilities during this operational pause and have stated that “it is unlikely that they will.”

“Russian forces have still carried out limited ground offensives and air, artillery and missile strikes in all axes on July 7, and are likely to continue to limit themselves to small-scale offensive actions while they rebuild forces and establish conditions. for a more significant offensive,” the ISW has detailed on its Twitter account.

In an interview with former lawyer Mark Feigin –known for his activism against Russian President Vladimir Putin– published on Youtube, adviser to the Ukrainian Presidency Oleksiy Arestovych has argued that the Ukrainian attacks on Russian warehouses have led to a pause in the Russian troops.

“The attacks on the warehouses significantly weakened the ability to do it quickly and in an organized manner. The further preparation of the offensive on the second line is now a non-trivial task, because their reserves are ‘depleted’ and will decrease,” Arestovych explained in Statements collected by the Ukrainian chain TCH.

He also assured that Russia “has taken a breather and is holding on to it”, alleging that “the pace of the offensive has slowed down”. “Even though the occupiers are carrying out tactical actions, an offensive with a penetration attempt is now impossible for them,” she added.