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| Capella Space/Handout via REUTERS |
The anti-tank ditches near Ukraine's occupied southeastern town of Polohy stretch for 30 km (19 miles). Behind are rows of concrete "dragon's teeth" barricades. Further back are defensive trenches where Russia's troops will be positioned.
The defences visible in satellite imagery taken by Capella Space are part of a vast network of Russian fortifications sweeping down from western Russia through eastern Ukraine and on to Crimea built in readiness for a major Ukrainian attack.
Thousands of Ukrainian troops have been training in the West to use different military assets on the battlefield in a combined way ahead of a counteroffensive Ukrainian officials say will come when its forces are ready.
Reuters has reviewed satellite images of thousands of defensive positions inside both Russia and along Ukrainian front lines that show it is most heavily defended in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and the gateway to the Crimean Peninsula.
Six military experts said the defences, mostly built in the wake of Ukraine's rapid autumn advances, could make it harder for Ukraine this time and that progress would hinge on its ability to carry out complex, combined operations effectively.
"It's not the numbers for the Ukrainians. It's can they do this kind of warfare, combined arms operations?" said Neil Melvin, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). "The Russians have shown they can't do it and they've gone back to their old Soviet method of attrition."
A Ukrainian counteroffensive could change the dynamics of a war that has slowed into a bloody battle of attrition and military experts say the length of the front could stretch Russia's defences.
If Kyiv can wrest back control of the south, it could regain unimpeded access to its Black Sea export routes at a time when Russia has signalled it may slam the grain corridor shut --->READ MORE HERE
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| Stock photo from Armed Forces of Ukraine |
On 27 April, Russian occupying forces made 35 assault attempts on three fronts but were rebuffed.
Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, information as of 18:00 on 27 April
Details: Over the course of the day, Russia launched 25 airstrikes and carried out more than 20 attacks from multiple-launch rocket systems at the positions of Ukrainian troops and settlements.
At night, Russians launched five missile strikes on Mykolaiv, as a result of which civilians were wounded and private residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged.
The probability of further Russian missile and air strikes throughout the territory of Ukraine remains high.
The occupiers continue to focus their efforts on conducting offensive operations on the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka fronts.
Over the course of the past 24 hours, Russian forces carried out more than 35 attacks on these fronts, but all of them were repelled by units of the Defense Forces.
Bakhmut and Marinka remain at the epicentre of hostilities, and Ukrainian soldiers are courageously holding the defence. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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