Ukraine Maps Show Areas of Fighting as Kyiv Seeks to Bolster Defenses

Ukraine is looking to increase its fortifications against Russian forces along the front except for one area in the south, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), whose latest maps show the state of play along the frontline.

Statements in the last couple of days by Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhnyi signal where Kyiv will focus its defensive efforts, the U.S.-based think tank said.

Zelensky said on Thursday his troops will bolster defenses along the Kupyansk-Lyman line of the front, northern and western Ukraine, as well as Kherson Oblast further south. Zelensky added how important were the defenses in the Avdiivka and Marinka directions in Donetsk Oblast.

This chimed with a statement by Zaluzhnyi about his conversation with Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown. Zaluzhnyi said on Telegram that Ukraine was "inflicting significant losses in manpower and equipment on the enemy, as well as exhausting them along the entire front line."

The ISW said the pair's comments about Ukrainian defensive operations on the Kharkiv-Luhansk oblast border, as well as the Donetsk and Kherson oblasts, were notable for not referring to Zaporizhzhia oblast. This suggested that "Ukrainian forces have not gone over to the defensive in this area." Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian Defense Ministry for comment.

One ISW map showed that in the Zaporizhzhia oblast, Ukrainian forces had maintained their positions southwest of the village of Staromaiorske. Another showed that, in the battle for Bakhmut, Russian forces had captured the settlement of Khromove and advanced near Klishchiivka on November 29.

The think tank added that Russian forces had been trying to regain the theater-level initiative in Ukraine since at least mid-November through "simultaneous offensive operations in the areas where Ukrainian forces have transitioned to chiefly defensive actions."

Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told his military leadership on Friday that Russian troops were conducting "active defense" in eastern Ukraine where they were capturing positions.

However, the ISW said that Shoigu was falsely framing operations to manage expectations among the Russian public and explain the lack of any major Russian progress.

If it acknowledged the operations to capture Avdiivka as an offensive effort, Russia would have to pursue an identifiable operational objective. So its explanation allows it "to declare success as long as Russian forces prevent Ukrainian forces from making any significant gains," the ISW added.

Meanwhile, Zelensky told the Associated Press that he expects Russia to resume an intense air campaign, with such attacks last year hitting key civilian infrastructure.

He added that the counteroffensive this year did not produce the results many had hoped for because "we didn't get all the weapons we wanted."

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