Ukraine carries out one of the deadliest attacks against Russian forces since war began

Nikolas Gvosdev, U.S. Naval War College:

First, it’s showing that months, if not years of Western training and equipping of Ukrainian forces is paying off.

The Ukrainians are being able to connect real-time intelligence with their artillery to be able to deliver devastating strikes, in this particular case against Russian forces. What it does, however, signal is that the Ukrainians are concerned about the shift in Russian strategy over the last several weeks.

The Russians are digging in. The Russians do not want to lose more territory in Ukraine that they have already lost since the Ukrainian counteroffensives began in the fall. They’re digging in. They want to prevent further Ukrainian moves.

And so I would agree with my fellow analysts Michael Kofman, who argues that we’re seeing the Ukrainians shifting towards targeting Russian positions, targeting Russian personnel in order to weaken those Russian defensive capabilities, which the Ukrainians will have to do if they want to resume their ability to retake land later in the spring.